"Things are a lot different now than they were a year ago."
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
"So I think the best thing for us to do will be to fly into Melbourne and work our way up the coast, checking the major cities first. Wendell and Monica Wilkins could be anywhere, and it'll be impossible for us to find them until we actually get to Australia," Hermione thought aloud, sitting next to Ron and Harry on the floor of the living room.
Ron looked up from the chess board momentarily, and Harry made his move, taking Ron's knight with his bishop.
"We're gonna fly to Australia? But you hate brooms," Ron said in a confused voice.
Hermione sighed but didn't roll her eyes, which surprised Harry. "We'll have to fly in an aeroplane, Ron."
"An aeroplane? Like those big metal tubes that Muggles use?" Ron asked, sounding more than a little trepidatious about the idea.
"It's just as safe as flying on a broom," Hermione answered, and Harry could tell her patience was wearing thin.
"But… it doesn't make sense. You can't even know how it stays in the air," Ron responded.
Now Hermione finally did roll her eyes. "Actually, the concepts behind how a broom and an aeroplane fly aren't all that different. The aeroplane is able to lift off by– don't look at me like that. I thought you'd want to know how it works so you know it's safe," she said, seeing Ron's eyes starting to glaze over.
Ron sighed and shook his head. "No… I trust you. I'm just not used to it is all," he said quietly as he looked back down at the board now.
"And you are a wizard, so even if something does happen, we'll be okay," Hermione offered in a more comforting tone.
Ron nodded absently, focused on the game again. "Checkmate," he said, moving his queen through a hole in Harry's defence that had been opened by him moving his bishop on the previous move.
Harry shook his head in disbelief– this match had seemed to be going so well. He sat back and listened to Hermione continue talking about Australia as he glanced over the copy of the Daily Prophet sitting on the floor between him and Hermione.
"We'll have to sort out places to stay, although I suppose we could do that with a travel agency…"
HARRY POTTER- GREAT WIZARD OR GREATEST WIZARD?
ANALYSING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE BOY WHO LIVED!
It's been three days since Harry Potter's groundbreaking hearing, where a number of his accomplishments and heroic feats were revealed in public for the first time. Between defeating a dark wizard at the age of eleven and defeating the darkest wizard of all time at the age of seventeen, Potter's legacy as a great wizard has already been secured. There's only one question that remains– is he the greatest wizard of our time? We'll answer that question over the next three pages.
For reprints of our previous stories on Potter's hearing, see pages 5-7.
For further reading on the Ministry's efforts to pursue reform, see page 9…
Harry rolled his eyes and set the paper back down, very uninterested in the Prophet's so-called 'analysis' that he was sure would be a load of hogwash.
"I'm thinking a few days after Ginny's birthday," Hermione was saying.
"What?" Harry asked, having clearly missed something in the conversation.
"I was saying that we'll leave shortly after Ginny's birthday. We don't want to miss either of your birthdays, but I do want us to get there as soon as we can," Hermione explained, and Harry nodded, a little taken aback. Of course he'd known that both his and Ginny's birthdays were coming up, but with how busy the summer had been, he hadn't fully realised that his eighteenth birthday was just over a week away.
"It sounds alright to me, Hermione. I know you'll take care of the details, and we'll find them quickly once we get there," Ron said, standing up and dusting off his trousers.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked, looking up at his mate.
"Oh, did I not mention? Mr. Trumble wanted me to meet him for tea again to talk more about the Cannons," Ron answered with a wide grin on his face.
Harry chuckled. "He should start paying you a coach's salary if he's gonna keep asking for your advice on the team."
Ron's eyes widened. "Blimey, could you imagine that?"
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I could definitely see you being a great coach," he answered. Ron nodded, smiling faintly as he absentmindedly exited the room, patting Hermione awkwardly on the top of her head, clearly lost in visions of himself coaching the Chudley Cannons.
He laughed when he saw Hermione's reaction to Ron's exit. "Like Ginny said, Hermione, Ron's first love will always be Quidditch."
Hermione blushed and looked back down at the books and maps laid out in front of her. "Are you feeling okay about the trip?" he asked, sensing that she was a little nervous.
She looked up and he could see uncertainty in her expression. "I'm worried I won't be able to undo the memory charm, and– and even if I do… they'll hate me for what I did to them."
"I don't think you'll have a problem with the charm– even if it's a challenging bit of spellwork, when has that ever held you back?" Hermione nodded a little at Harry's words. "And… they're still your parents, Hermione. They may be a little upset because they didn't know, but I imagine they'll be so happy to have you back that it'll all be okay."
Hermione wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at him. "You weren't this good at emotions and advice when I was… angry at Ron in our sixth year."
Harry nodded. "No, I wasn't. I still don't think I'm good at it now, but a lot's changed since then."
"Everything's changed since then," Hermione responded.
They sat in silence for a moment or two. "At least I don't have the emotional range of a teaspoon," Harry commented, and Hermione looked up at him. He cracked a smile, and they both began laughing hysterically.
When they finally calmed down, Hermione said, "You've both gotten much better at emotional… things."
Harry chuckled. "If you say so. I still don't feel like I understand it, but I must be doing better than I used to."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You've become much better at talking about your feelings and other people's feelings. And from what I've seen, you're exceptionally good at emotions when it comes to Ginny."
Harry smiled then. It definitely did come much easier with Ginny than anyone else.
"Speaking of, where is Ginny?" Hermione asked. "She can't still be asleep."
"She definitely could still be asleep," Harry joked. "But she's not. She had to go to Diagon Alley with Molly. I don't really know what for, but she said they'd probably be gone most of the day."
Hermione nodded, beginning to look back down at her books when they heard a rapping on the window. Both of their heads snapped around to see an owl flying in front of the living room window. Harry stood up and opened the door. The owl landed, sticking its leg out so Harry could take the letter that was tied to it. As soon as he had it in his hands, the owl hooted and flew away.
Harry examined the envelope as he walked back into the house. There was a Ministry of Magic seal on it, and it was addressed to 'Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and the Weasley Family'.
"Should we open this?" Harry asked, passing the envelope to Hermione, who looked curiously at it for a moment.
"What do you think it is?" she asked.
Harry shrugged. "I thought for a second it was our Hogwarts letters, but those wouldn't be coming from the Ministry." He suddenly narrowed his eyes at Hermione, who was still looking down at the envelope.
"Hermione, are you sure you'll be able to be back for the start of term at Hogwarts if you wait until the middle of August to start looking for your parents?" he asked.
Hermione looked up at him, frowning slightly. "Harry, I'm not going back to Hogwarts."
"What? You're not going back for your seventh year?" Hermione shook her head. "Why?" he asked, incredibly surprised. It hadn't even occurred to him that it was a possibility that she wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts. Ron was the only one he hadn't been sure about.
In typical Hermione fashion, she had a catalogue of answers. "For several reasons, actually. First, I can't stand to be back in the castle, Harry. I absolutely hated being in the Great Hall when we went back for the memorial. It's why I haven't ever come to help with anything at Hogwarts this summer. It just– that was the worst night of my life– the absolute worst– and even though you survived, I thought you were dead. I thought we were all going to die. I truly don't know how you and Ginny keep going back there and plan on returning for seventh year. I just– there's no– I just couldn't do it."
Harry honestly hadn't thought much about that. His panic attacks hadn't ever been triggered by Hogwarts itself, and even though he did still have painful memories there, he was somehow able to disassociate those memories from the place they happened at. And every time he'd been at Hogwarts, he'd been with Ginny, which certainly helped. It was a little disconcerting though, hearing Hermione admit that she couldn't do something.
"Second, Ron wouldn't want to go back anyways, and I think he'd feel pressured to return if I did. Third, I don't want to rush finding my parents and restoring their memories, and that matters more than anything. And anyways, I do have a job here when I get back from Australia," Hermione explained, and Harry's eyes widened slightly.
"You do?" he asked.
Hermione nodded excitedly. "I can't believe I never said anything! It happened when we were trying to leave your hearing a few days ago, and I must've forgotten to mention it with the excitement of coming back to see you. But yes, Kingsley talked to us after you left about the hearing and then he told me that he'd been thinking about what he and I had talked about at the memorial concerning the rights of non-magical people in our world. He said he wanted me to join the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, in the Being Division. Apparently that division was depleted of most of its resources over the past couple years, and he wants me to take a lead role in rebuilding it."
"Wow, that's brilliant, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, genuinely very happy for his best friend.
She grinned and nodded. "I'm so excited. The Division deals with goblins, house-elves, and werewolves. I cannot wait to get started when we get back."
Harry smiled with her. It certainly made a lot more sense now why she of all people would skip her last year at Hogwarts. "I'm really happy for you, Hermione. I guess you'll be able to bring your spew stuff over to the Ministry now."
Hermione closed her eyes and exhaled. "How many times have I told you–"
"I know, I know. It's S.P.E.W. I was the secretary, after all," Harry interrupted, chuckling slightly. Hermione chuckled with him before looking back down at the letter. And then she promptly ripped it open.
"Hermione! We should wait!" Harry cried out, and she looked up at him unapologetically.
"Why? It's addressed to both of us. Besides, don't you want to know what it says?" she asked, temptingly sliding the letter out of the envelope and waving it in the air.
Harry sighed and sat next to her. She opened the letter between the two of them, and Harry began reading.
Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys,
Apologies for not being able to deliver this in person– I can't get away from the office today, and it'll be in the papers tomorrow. Ten days from now, we will be hosting a ceremony at the Ministry to give awards to the heroes of the battle. I've spent significant time advocating for the recipients of these awards, and even though they're just medals that can't possibly compensate for any of the hardships we've all endured, I wanted all the heroes to be permanently recognised in wizarding history for their contributions to winning the war.
Below, please find the list of awards being given to each of you.
Order of Merlin, First Class: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley
Order of Merlin, Second Class: Sirius Black (posthumously, presented to Harry Potter), James and Lily Potter (posthumously, presented to Harry Potter), Arthur, Molly, William, Fleur, Charles, George, and Ginevra Weasley, Fred Weasley (posthumously, presented to the Weasley Family)
Order of Merlin, Third Class: Percy Weasley
Every member of the Order of the Phoenix and the primary student leaders of Dumbledore's Army, including Ginny, are receiving O.M. Second Class. Remus and Tonks' O.M.s will be given to Andromeda for Teddy. Severus Snape is also receiving an O.M. Second Class, and his will be placed at his grave. Everyone else who fought for us at the battle is being honoured with O.M. Third Class awards.
I look forward to seeing you at the Ministry Gala on 2 August.
Sincerely,
Kingsley
Harry looked up at Hermione, who was staring, open-mouthed at him. "First Class," she breathed out, and Harry nodded.
"I'm glad my mum and dad are getting them. And Sirius and Remus," Harry said quietly, and Hermione nodded, leaning against Harry as she reread the letter.
"We should've waited to open this with everyone," Hermione said after a moment, and Harry laughed.
"You know, it wouldn't kill you to say 'Harry, you were right'."
Hermione laughed with him but didn't say he was right. "I guess we should send Bill and Fleur an owl, and we'll tell everyone else tonight," Harry suggested, and Hermione nodded, so he stood and quickly wrote a letter to them explaining what Kingsley's letter had said.
He was painfully reminded of how much he missed Hedwig when he had to use Pigwidgeon to send the letter. He didn't mind the hyper owl, but he missed having his own owl, and Hedwig had been the best owl he could've ever had. How had he already gone a year without her? That was another thing that had changed.
"Dinner tonight should be festive at least," Hermione commented as he sat back down next to her. He chuckled and nodded. It seemed like they would be having a lot to celebrate over the next couple weeks.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Ginny had spent several hours wandering around Diagon Alley with her mum by this point, and she was getting rather tired of it. She liked shopping as much as the next girl, but she grew weary of it much faster than her friends and, apparently, her mother. On the bright side, she had managed to purchase her birthday gift for Harry, which had been the original point of coming to Diagon Alley today, but her mum had insisted they turn it into a full day's affair.
When her mum insisted on visiting Madam Malkin's for a second time, Ginny remained outside, much preferring people-watching to pretending to act interested in wandering the same aisles she'd just been in two hours prior. She certainly wasn't expecting the view out here to be as intriguing as it turned out to be.
On the other side of the cobbled street, she saw Percy walking hand-in-hand with a blonde woman she vaguely recognized. She was even more surprised to see the woman kiss Percy on the cheek before stepping into Flourish and Blotts. Percy looked extremely pleased with himself, and he practically began strutting down the street. Unable to resist, Ginny had to run up to him.
"Who was that, Perce?" she asked, grinning at her older brother, who jumped about a foot off the ground in surprise.
"Oh, um– well, that was Penelope," he answered.
"Penelope… the girl you dated at Hogwarts?" she asked.
Percy nodded. "We separated after we graduated, but we ran into each other last week when we were all here for George. We started catching up and… decided to give things another try."
Ginny smiled. "That's great, Percy. I'm really happy for you. You deserve it," she said honestly. He may have been a– well, arse was the only word to describe him over the past couple years, but he'd clearly turned over a new leaf, and he deserved to be happy.
He nodded. "Thanks, Ginny. Although… can you not mention anything to any of the others? It's just– it's new, and you know how some of them can be."
Ginny chuckled. "Sure thing. There's a reason Harry and I had been waiting to tell everyone at home when we started dating last year, too."
"Didn't stop you from letting everyone know this time around though," Percy commented, and Ginny just shrugged.
"I mean, only you and Charlie didn't already know. And things are a lot different now than they were a year ago. The time we spent apart, the war… it all just put everything into perspective. We weren't going to let anything keep us from being together anymore. We were kids the first time we dated, but everything's changed since then."
"You're still kids–" Percy began to say but saw Ginny's expression "– no… you're right. We've all had to grow up a lot in the past year, the two of you more than most. It's honestly a little… inspiring seeing you go for what you want."
Ginny raised an eyebrow slightly, not used to anything resembling praise from Percy, and he continued. "I– I know I don't really ask people for advice often, but I've been thinking about going for what I want recently. I– George needs to open his shop again. We all agree he needs something to do to keep his mind off of… everything. I think I want to help him," he confessed quietly.
Ginny stared in shock at her brother. "Really? You want to help run the joke shop?"
Percy cracked a somewhat rare smile and nodded. "I think I could help him a lot on the business end of things and let him focus on the ideas and product creation. It's just– I appreciate that Kingsley didn't fire me, but… I don't like thinking about who I was when I was working at the Ministry the past couple years. I made some awful decisions, and I became a spiteful, prideful person. I want to see who I can be and what I can do outside the Ministry for a while, and I think it would be a good way to help George and honour Fred."
"You're serious about this? But working at the Ministry has been your dream since you were–"
"Six," Percy interrupted, nodding his head again. "And yes, I'm completely serious. I've been thinking about it ever since we talked to him last week."
Ginny thought for a moment before offering her opinion. "I think that sounds like a great idea, if it's what you really want. But you may want to think about it more just to be sure. You don't want to tell George and get him planning to open the shop again and then realise it isn't actually what you want to do."
"You're probably right. I can give it another week, I suppose. I really do think this is what I want to do though," he said confidently, and Ginny nodded. The war really had changed them all. She certainly was a different person, and it was now incredibly obvious that Percy had dramatically changed as well. It suited him.
That evening at dinner, the entire family was surprised when Harry said a letter arrived for them. He passed it to her dad, who read it aloud.
When Harry's award was read, Ginny took his hand under the table, and he smiled softly at her. She squeezed his hand tightly when her dad read the names of Sirius and Harry's parents. He responded in kind when her name and Fred's name were read. They both smiled when Remus and Tonks' awards were mentioned.
The family was remarkably quiet for several moments before Ginny's mum spoke. "I'm so proud of all of you," she said softly. Harry squeezed her hand again.
"So am I," her dad echoed, and everyone around the table nodded and smiled at each other, although George seemed a little less enthusiastic than everyone else, likely because of the mention of Fred's posthumous award.
Ginny was going to speak to him after dinner, but Charlie pulled George outside, presumably because he'd noticed George's demeanour as well. That was fine by her. Charlie would be a great help, and after the day she'd had, she was eager for some alone time with Harry, who didn't resist at all when she pulled him up the stairs and into her room.
"Congratulations on the award," he said, grinning at her when she closed the door. She smiled and hugged him, just wanting to feel his arms around her. Immediately, she felt completely calm and relaxed, and Harry's deep breaths told her he felt the same.
"You deserve something more than First Class," Ginny responded, leading him to sit on the bed with her.
He chuckled and shook his head. "You know I don't care about the award at all. Personally, I think you deserve First Class just as much as I do."
She smiled and kissed him softly. "You're very sweet sometimes, you know?"
"Something about you brings out the best in me, I guess," he answered, grinning at her.
She leaned against him and he wrapped an arm around her. They sat like that for a while, not needing to say anything. Finally, Ginny broke the silence because she remembered something that had occurred to her at the kitchen table that night.
"I didn't realise your parents didn't already have O.M.s. I would've figured…" she trailed off, and he shrugged.
"I dunno. I'd never thought about it before, honestly. They definitely deserve it though."
Ginny nodded. "I wish I could've met them," she said quietly. She would've loved to hear stories about Harry as a child from his parents, if all those possibilities hadn't been stolen from him when he was too young to remember anything about them.
"Me too," he whispered, and Ginny looked up at him, afraid that she'd been terribly insensitive because of course Harry would've given anything to meet the parents he'd never truly known.
"Harry, I didn't mean–" she began, and Harry shook his head.
"It's okay, Gin. I– I mean it's an awful thing to say, but I'm used to it." She frowned at the slightly sad expression on his face. Suddenly, he smiled again, brightening his entire face and, though she couldn't be sure of it, it seemed like her room was brighter than it had been a moment ago.
"I do have something you might like to look at though," he said, walking over to the pile of his stuff in the corner of her room that he'd never gotten around to tidying up. He dug around for a moment before finding what he was looking for. He walked back to her, holding a leather bound book. When he set it on his lap, she saw that it more closely resembled a photo album. Those suspicions were confirmed when he opened it, revealing a picture of a man with messy black hair, who looked almost identical to Harry, hugging a woman with dark red hair in front of Hogwarts. They were laughing, and Ginny smiled at the picture before looking at Harry, sensing that he was looking at her.
"These are my parents," Harry said simply, and Ginny slid as close as she could to him, taking one of his hands in hers and lacing her fingers through his.
"I'd love to know more about them," Ginny responded as Harry turned the page. He smiled at her, and they spent more than an hour looking through the album while Harry told her the stories he'd heard from the people who'd known them. As she was listening to him, two things were abundantly clear to her. First, she knew without a doubt that she definitely would've loved to have met them. Second, she couldn't wait to fill as many albums as she could with all the pictures of hers and Harry's life together.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
The next day, Harry and Ginny returned to Hogwarts. The full moon was fast approaching, which meant it was time for them to begin brewing the potion they needed to restore the Room of Requirement. First though, they needed permission to access the school's potions ingredients and supplies, so they stopped at McGonagall's office when they arrived.
When Harry knocked on the door, there was no answer. He looked questioningly at Ginny, who frowned and slowly opened the door. "Professor?" she called, but the only response they received was silence. She opened the door fully now and walked in. Harry followed closely behind.
McGonagall wasn't in her office, so they were about to turn and leave when Harry saw a portrait he'd promised to come talk to again. "Come with me," he said to Ginny, walking around McGonagall's desk towards the portrait of the old man with twinkling eyes who was smiling down at both of them.
"I was beginning to believe you'd forgotten about me," Dumbledore said mischievously.
Harry shook his head. "I've been meaning to come back for while, but things have just been crazy the past few weeks."
"Oh, I know. Minerva's told me all about the things that you've been up to with the Wizengamot. I daresay your most recent hearing was less uncomfortable than the one we went to three years ago?"
Harry smiled grimly. "It was close. I didn't particularly enjoy having to explain the forest or my whole connection with Riddle."
"But he did great," Ginny chimed in, and Dumbledore chuckled.
"I had no doubts. Several people have come to tell Minerva how impressive everything you said was. But we don't need to dwell on things like that. How are you doing, Ginny?"
Harry looked to his right and saw Ginny smiling. "I'm doing great, Professor. It's been a difficult few months, but they've also been some of the happiest."
Dumbledore smiled warmly at them both. "I'm sure you've both enjoyed getting– ah, reacquainted with each other–" Harry blushed slightly but found himself taking Ginny's hand in his all the same "– and you both deserve it. Between my conversations with Severus and Minerva, I'm very impressed with what you were able to accomplish at Hogwarts last year."
"Snape knew?" Ginny asked, slightly surprised, and Dumbledore chuckled again.
"Of course I knew," a low voice Harry was too familiar with said, and he and Ginny both turned to their left, jaws dropping at the portrait of Snape that hung near the end of the wall.
"But you never tried to help us," Ginny said dumbfoundedly.
Snape rolled his eyes. "It's a good thing I didn't need advice from you on subterfuge and discretion. Obviously I didn't let anyone know what I was doing. Did you never wonder how the names of the students who were in danger made their way to you?"
"That was you?" she asked.
Snape inclined his head slightly. "I was made to promise that I'd do everything I could to protect the students of Hogwarts."
"You make it sound like such a burden, Severus," Dumbledore commented, still smiling slightly.
Snape didn't respond, and Harry found himself torn. It'd been easier to talk about Snape as a hero when he'd barely interacted with the man in a year, but his familiar feeling of loathing towards Snape was battling that sentiment in his mind. He felt like he should say something, but it wasn't clear what that should be.
"We buried you at the place you met… her," Harry finally said, unable to say 'my mother' or 'Lily'.
"I know, Potter. McGonagall told me how your opinion of me has changed since my death," Snape said with the faintest hint of a sneer on his face.
Harry shrugged, unable to help himself. "Don't worry. I still think you were a cruel bastard who bullied children for fun, but you did do something right, at least."
"And you're still–" Snape began to fire back a retort, but he was interrupted by the door opening and McGonagall walking in.
"I see you've let yourselves into my office," she said sternly.
"Sorry Professor. We were just wanting to ask you if we could use some ingredients from the potions stores. We're getting closer to finishing with the Room of Requirement, but there's a potion we have to make for it," Ginny explained.
McGonagall nodded. "That's fine with me. I trust the book has been a valuable resource, then?"
They both nodded. "We wouldn't have ever figured anything out without the book. I just wish we had more time with it," Harry said wistfully.
McGonagall pressed her lips together for a moment. "I could arrange that," she finally said, surprising both of them.
"Really?" Ginny asked, and McGonagall nodded.
"I think the school owes you that much. If you want to look at it while you're here this year, Weasley, just come to my office and I'll give it to you. Potter, I'm sure you'll be visiting, and you're welcome to look at it then too."
Harry saw Ginny smiling as he corrected the headmistress. "Actually, Professor… I'm planning on coming back to Hogwarts this year."
McGonagall's eyes widened. She definitely hadn't been expecting that. "I– I must say I'm surprised, Potter. I didn't think you'd be interested in another year of school."
Harry chuckled. "If I'm being honest, education isn't exactly the main reason I'm coming back." He smiled at Ginny, who was grinning back at him.
His eyes may have been deceiving him, but he thought he saw the corners of McGonagall's lips twitch upwards. "I understand. I appreciate you letting me know. It'll be nice to have you at Hogwarts for another year," she said, and Harry nodded.
"I'm looking forward to it," he responded honestly before he and Ginny began walking to the door. Ginny exited, but Harry turned back briefly to see Dumbledore smiling at him. He'd have to make it a point to spend more time talking to the former headmaster this year, he thought as he walked out the door, avoiding looking at Snape. Harry definitely had much more pleasant things to look at in front of him.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
"Are you sure you can make this potion?" Ginny asked, as kindly as she could. They'd brought up a small potions table, a potion kit, and all the ingredients they needed that they could get right now.
Harry cocked his head curiously. "I was top of my class in potions last year," he answered defensively, and Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"I think you mean the Prince was top of your class."
Harry's jaw dropped as he stared at her, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, come on Harry. You know I'm only teasing. You did good enough to get your O.W.L. and the wit-sharpening potion is only a fourth-year recipe."
Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Now you're making it sound like you're taking pity on me. What did you get on your Potions O.W.L.?" he asked.
"Outstanding," she responded, not afraid to brag about it a little. She'd been a little surprised with that particular result, even though she'd always been fairly good at Potions.
"You got an O?" Harry asked, seeming a little impressed, and she nodded proudly. She grinned when he immediately handed the stirring rod over to her. "It's all yours," he said, stepping back slightly to give her room to brew the potion.
"Aguamenti," Ginny cast, filling the cauldron halfway with water. "Incendio," she added, lighting a fire under the cauldron, bringing the water to a simmer before adding three scarab beetles that she'd just crushed and stirring the mixture six times. She and Harry watched the potion simmer as it slowly changed to a light green colour.
The next step was to add drops of armadillo bile, stirring twice after each one, until the potion became blue. Once that was complete, Ginny added the four cut ginger roots, stirring three times clockwise and five times counterclockwise, then she stepped away from the potion, allowing it to simmer for ten minutes before she stirred it again.
"I guess we can take a look at another one of those riddles while we wait," she suggested, and Harry nodded, pulling the folded piece of parchment out of his back pocket.
"I'm not what I was, a shift so profound, feathers to scales, or silence to sound. With wand's graceful wave or thought's subtle twist, consider the marvel that can't be missed." Harry read the first riddle that they hadn't solved yet.
Ginny paced back and forth as she thought about it. "Feather to scales… silence to sound. It sounds like some sort of magic."
"The next line does mention a wand," Harry added.
"That first part makes it sound like transfiguration, but sound isn't caused by transfiguration," Ginny said, ending that idea.
"Maybe not, but I do think we're on the right track. And transfiguration's basically exactly what the room is all about, right?"
"Pretty much," Ginny agreed, still weighing the riddle in her mind as she continued pacing.
"The colour changed again," Harry mentioned a moment later. Ginny looked at the potion, pleased to see that it was now light green again.
She stirred it two more times in each direction before withdrawing the stirring rod, waiting for the potion to change colours one more time. That final transformation indicated that the potion was complete, and then they could begin on adding Rowena Ravenclaw's extra steps to it.
"The room changes… it takes on different appearances… it can be any size… it does what the user wants…" Harry was trying to describe different things that were related to the room, clearly hoping one of them would make them think of the correct answer. Ginny was surprised when she zoned out, hearing Harry's words echoing in her head.
"The room changes…" she said quietly, and Harry looked at her with an inquisitive expression.
"What was that?" he asked, and she answered, "The room changes… but it's more than that. We were almost there with transfiguration, I think. The room doesn't just change. It transforms."
Harry's eyes widened slightly as he thought about her proposed answer. He nodded after a moment. "Feathers to scales–"
"Silence to sound," she finished.
"I think that's it. Transformation," Harry repeated, writing the word on the parchment.
"Pretty much the word that sums up the room," Ginny added. Harry nodded again. "I think all of our answers are right so far… need, self, and transformation. We're just missing the last word."
"And we still have about two weeks before the potion is ready, so that gives us plenty of time to figure it out," Ginny responded as she stepped up to the cauldron again. The potion inside was now purple, which meant that she'd succeeded in creating a wit-sharpening potion. Now for the part she'd never done before.
They'd emptied the potions store of its Jobberknoll feathers, giving them exactly the ten they'd need to make the potion. She added the first two feathers, leaving them to stew in the cauldron for exactly one day, before she'd add two more.
"Guess we're gonna have to come back here every day," Harry said, rereading the instructions given to them by Helena.
Ginny nodded. "It'll be easier to do this here than try and take the potions station home."
Harry chuckled. "Yeah, that would be a bit difficult to get back to the Burrow. But I think that's all we have to do today for the room. Are you ready to leave?"
"Actually, I was thinking that you could try and teach me how to send those Patronus messages," Ginny answered, hoping he'd feel up to it. Harry didn't disappoint, eagerly nodding at her proposal.
"That sounds brilliant!" he exclaimed, and she smiled at his excitement over simple things like this. It was so cute.
"So it's just like we talked about when I was learning it. Think of the happiest memory you can and imagine that your Patronus is just a part of you. You just tell it where to go and what to say," Harry advised, and Ginny nodded as she moved to the opposite side of the room from him.
She closed her eyes and pictured the photo on her wall– her memory of the first time she'd kissed Harry. She could almost feel the warmth coursing through her, imagining a tingle on her lips as she shouted "Expecto Patronum!"
She opened her eyes and watched as her Patronus soared high above them, spiralling around the room quickly. She remembered that she was supposed to be directing it, and she imagined it going to Harry. Almost immediately, it did just that, hovering in front of him, flapping its wings to keep it in the air.
"Your Patronus is a phoenix?" Harry asked quietly, staring up at it in awe. Ginny frowned, confused, making the phoenix disappear.
"You didn't know that my Patronus was a phoenix?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"No. I guess I'd just never realised that I didn't know what it was before."
"But… you're the one who taught me how to cast a Patronus," Ginny responded, taken aback, and he blushed a little.
"Well, I was teaching like thirty people at the same time, and there were so many Patronuses flying around that I couldn't really tell what or whose they were most of the time. "
Ginny pursed her lips. Unable to help herself, she asked, "What's Cho's Patronus?"
Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "Jealous, are we?" She wordlessly crossed her arms, and he sighed. "It's a swan. And I definitely prefer yours to hers," he said, walking over to her. He stood right in front of her, but she just looked up at him out of the tops of her eyes, barely moving her head at all.
"You know if I was leading the D.A. now, yours would've been the first Patronus I noticed," he said quietly, reaching a hand up and gently brushing her cheek, sending another wave of warmth cascading through her. She inhaled sharply and looked more fully up at him.
"I know. Sorry for– for that. Sometimes I just forget that we weren't always really close and you didn't always pay attention to me," she responded finally, feeling a little bad for reacting childishly.
"Gin–" he began, and she placed a hand on his chest.
"Harry, it's really okay. I know it's not like that anymore, and I shouldn't have made you feel bad for not knowing."
He shook his head. "No, it's not that. I just– I get jealous too, sometimes." Ginny raised her eyebrows at him, and he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Right after the battle, Ron, Hermione, and I took some time away from everything. I started to go to the dorm to go to sleep, but then I realised I couldn't go any longer without talking to you, so I put my cloak on and went down to the Great Hall to look for you. When I didn't see you with your family, my first instinct was to check if you were with Michael or Dean. The idea of it made me sick, but I thought you might've gotten back with one of them last year."
She could feel her gaze softening as Harry looked at her so longingly that it almost made her heart hurt. "You never told me that," she said quietly.
He shrugged. "It's not like I'm really proud of it or anything. I just couldn't help it."
Now she wrapped her arms around his neck, locking eyes with him. "I told you a couple days after the battle that some boys did ask me out last year. But after being with you, I couldn't date anyone else. You were the best and most real thing that had ever happened to me, and I wasn't ever going to settle for anything less. And that hasn't changed. Everyone else is nothing compared to you," she assured him fiercely, and he smiled at her.
"Don't you think that's how I feel too?" he spoke softly, his bright green eyes emphasising his commitment to her. What was the point of being jealous when he looked at her like nothing else could possibly matter? Without any hesitation, she stood on her toes and brought him into a searing kiss that lasted a minute or more.
"I love you, Blaze," he whispered once they'd separated even though their foreheads still rested against each other.
"I love you, babe," she responded, making him grin as she used a rather conventional but appropriate pet name for him.
"So… a phoenix, huh?" he asked, and she snorted, reminded of the conversation that had led them to this point.
"Yeah… I was surprised by it too," she admitted, remembering the first time she'd been able to produce one, near the end of her fourth year. She hadn't really had any expectations for it– Harry had told them it had nothing to do with their favourite animals or anything like that, but if she'd had a hundred guesses, she didn't think a phoenix would've been one of them.
"I like it. And I think it makes sense," he said simply.
"You do?" Ginny asked, a little surprised.
He nodded. "Yeah, I do. Phoenixes are all about rising from the ashes– like overcoming adversity and becoming stronger. That sounds exactly like you after– after the Chamber. And they're really loyal and surprisingly strong, just like you. Plus, I know how much you love to be free and fly, and the phoenix seems pretty perfect for that too."
She stared up at him, never ceasing to be impressed by her boyfriend. "You're really amazing, you know? It took me more than a year before I figured all of that out and realised why it was my Patronus."
"Really?" he asked. Apparently it had been much more obvious to him.
She nodded. "I guess you know me pretty well–" Harry smiled slightly "– but you left one thing out that I thought of. There was a phoenix there the day that I decided that my feelings for you were much more than a regular crush, and they weren't ever going to go away."
He blushed at that, and she thought he looked absolutely adorable. "I love your Patronus," he said after a moment, and she grinned.
"I love you," she responded, kissing him once more before letting him step back so she could try again.
She tried four or five more times. She got pretty good at directing her Patronus to go where she wanted it, but she still couldn't figure out how to make it talk. Resigned to trying again another day, she and Harry left the castle and began walking towards the gates when she saw Hagrid walking across the grounds towards his house. She looked at Harry and saw him looking at Hagrid too.
"We should stop and say hi," she suggested.
He nodded. "I can't wait to tell him I'm coming back," he said excitedly, and they began walking quickly to catch up to the gamekeeper.
"Hagrid!" Harry called when they got within earshot. Hagrid turned around, and his face lit up in a smile underneath his bushy beard.
"I'd bin wond'rin' when the two o' yeh would come ter see me again," Hagrid said, pulling them both into a hug.
"Hagrid, I just saw you earlier this week at the hearing," Ginny responded, looking up into his face, which darkened and became downcast at the reminder of Harry's hearing.
"Ah, righ'. Forgot 'bout that," he said, looking away from both of them.
"Hagrid, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about everything–" Harry began before being interrupted by a loud sniffle.
"S'alrigh' Harry. I never asked 'cause I figured you wouldn' like talkin' 'bout it. But I knew. At leas', I knew more 'n most o' the people who were questionin' yeh."
Harry nodded, and Ginny was reminded of how difficult it must've been for Hagrid, not only to watch Harry give himself up and die in front of him, but to carry his body back to Hogwarts. Gently, she patted Hagrid's hand, and he nodded gratefully.
"Yer jus' so brave. Both o' yeh. I jus' wan' yeh both ter leave all this war nonsense behind. Live yer lives. S'not fair that people keep makin' all of us think abou' it," Hagrid continued.
"So I guess you're going to the ceremony at the Ministry?" Ginny asked, thinking of the next thing they had to do that reminded them of the battle and the war.
Hagrid nodded again. "Yep. Order o' Merlin, Second Class. S'nice an' all, but I'm ready ter move on too. I think once we get kids back inter Hogwarts, stuff will star' feelin' normal again. An' at leas' I've got one more year with you, Ginny," he said, smiling once again at her.
"I'll be here too," Harry chimed in, and Ginny beamed at him.
"Well o' course you'll be here. I doubt Ginny would let yeh two go weeks withou' seein' each other."
Harry chuckled. "I mean I'll be here. All year."
Hagrid's mouth opened slightly as his eyes widened. "Yeh mean– yer comin' back ter Hogwarts?"
Harry grinned and nodded. "I couldn't leave without finishing my seventh year." If he said anything else, Ginny couldn't hear it because at that moment, Hagrid wrapped him in a tight hug that left Harry breathless when he was finally released.
"Blimey, this is great! Are Ron and Hermione comin' back too?" Hagrid asked.
"No, Ron doesn't want to come back to school, and Hermione's got a job in the Ministry instead," Harry wheezed.
Hagrid chuckled. "I wouldn' have ever believed it if someone had told me that you'd be the one ter care more 'bout school than Hermione, but good on her, gettin' a Ministry job an' all. Surprised you didn' have one, ter be hones'."
Ginny smiled again as Harry blushed ever so slightly. "Ah– well, I did have an offer, but I wanted to come back," he said as he glanced over at her, making her smile even wider.
Hagrid laughed loudly now and raised a large hand. "Say no more, Harry. I understan' completely now. Not tha' I can blame yeh. I was jus' sayin' how the two o' yeh should live yer lives, an' this is a great star' in my opinion."
"We think so too," Ginny agreed, taking Harry's hand and squeezing it for good measure.
"Well, d'you two wan' ter come over fer some tea?" Hagrid asked, but both Ginny and Harry shook their heads.
"We can't today, Hagrid. We have to go back home before Andromeda brings Teddy over for the weekend," Harry answered.
"Oh, righ'. I forgot you two have a kid now," Hagrid said, stifling a grin as Ginny and Harry both laughed.
"Something like that," Ginny responded, still chuckling a little.
"Well you get back home then. We'll have plenty o' time this year to spend together," Hagrid said, smiling at them both. They hugged him one more time before leaving Hogwarts, apparating back to the Burrow.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
At breakfast two days later, Molly surprised Harry when she asked what he wanted to do for his birthday at the end of the week. He shrugged. "Not much, I guess. I don't really need us to do anything special. I'm just happy to spend it with all of you."
She and Ginny both smiled sweetly at him. "We'll make you a cake at least," Molly said before leaving the table with Arthur, saying something about going to Diagon Alley.
"You really don't want to do anything for your birthday?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged again.
"It's just never been a big deal. I'd never had a birthday party before I turned sixteen, so it's usually just been another day for me. Besides, there's a birthday that I'm much more interested in paying attention to just after mine," he answered, wrapping his arm affectionately around Ginny, who smiled up at him.
"You're sweet, but your birthday matters too," she said.
"Not as much as yours," he responded, and she rolled her eyes but kissed him quickly.
"Bloody hell, the two of you are so weird sometimes. Arguing about whose birthday matters more. They're both birthdays, they both matter," Ron interjected bluntly. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione all laughed at this observation, which was both true and such a Ron thing to say.
"Ever the well of emotional knowledge, Ron. Never change," Ginny said, still laughing at what Ron had said.
"It wasn't that funny," Ron protested, and Hermione shook her head and patted him on the shoulder, obviously doing her best to keep herself from smiling again. Harry decided to have mercy on the two of them.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked Ginny, who nodded, wiping her eyes as she stood with him.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked.
"Emily wrote us a letter inviting us back to her house, and we're bringing Teddy to introduce her to him," he explained. They both nodded, and Harry exited the kitchen, grabbing Teddy's supplies and meeting Ginny, who was holding Teddy, on the back porch. Once they'd left the wards, Harry put an arm around Ginny, holding her tightly, and apparated to the Brooks house.
Unsurprisingly, Emily came out in her chair to meet them as soon as they arrived, and she was immediately infatuated with Teddy. She led them inside and greedily accepted Teddy when Ginny asked if she wanted to hold him. Emily was a natural– Teddy didn't fuss or anything when Emily took him. Instead, he giggled and changed his hair to match her sandy blonde colour.
Emily's jaw dropped. "How did he do that?" she asked, staring in wonder at the baby in her arms.
"His mother was a Metamorphmagus. He seems to be taking after her," Ginny answered.
"Was?" Emily asked, looking up at both of them with wide eyes.
Harry grimaced. "Yeah. His parents– they were at the battle." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ginny's fists clenched, and he subtly covered one of them with his hand. She relaxed after a moment, nodding gratefully to him.
"So he doesn't have a family?" Emily continued asking the questions that Harry had sort of taken for granted when he'd first met Teddy. He supposed these were the sorts of questions that someone would've asked about him, if anyone had known about where he was other than the Dursleys.
"No, he still has a family. He stays with his grandmother most of the time, and he's got me and Ginny– we're his godparents. And he's got all of our family too," Harry answered.
"Your family? I– I thought your parents…" Emily trailed off, and Harry shook his head.
"No, you're right. I don't have anyone who I'm actually related to. But Ginny's family is my family too. I've been best friends with her older brother since we were younger than you. All of her brothers are like my brothers, and her parents are the closest thing I have to living parents," Harry explained, and he noticed Ginny smiling softly at his explanation of his place in the Weasley family.
Emily nodded before a very confused look crossed her face. "But if her parents are like your parents and her brothers are like your brothers, does– isn't she like your sister then?"
Harry squinted his eyes shut and screwed up his face, trying his best not to laugh. Ginny had no such luck, and she laughed loudly at that, which made Harry laugh, which made Emily laugh, even though she'd asked the question. Both Harry and Ginny were shaking their heads as their laughter died down.
"I've never thought of Harry like a brother. I've had a crush on him since I was ten years old," Ginny answered, still smiling at the question Emily had asked.
"Since you were ten?" Emily asked in disbelief, and Ginny nodded.
"Ever since the first time I saw him on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."
Emily turned to look curiously at Harry. "But I thought you only got together last year," she said, asking an implied question that made him smile.
"Ginny was much smarter than I was when we were younger. I never viewed her as a sister– to be honest, it's only recently that I've really started feeling like her family was my family– but it took me a while to realise that I wanted to be with her," Harry responded, wrapping an arm around Ginny, who immediately leaned in to him.
"You should've figured it out sooner," Emily commented simply.
Harry chuckled. "I definitely should've. But then again, if I had, things may have worked out differently than they did, and I wouldn't want that. I can't imagine being happier than I am now."
Both Ginny and Emily smiled at him, and he realised he'd said something incredibly sentimental. It was the truth though. The pain and sadness they'd been through showed just how important it was to treasure the things that made him happy, the things he loved. He was very focused on spending all of his time and energy doing just that.
Harry and Ginny stayed for tea with the Brooks family, and Harry was caught off guard when Emily suddenly said, "I've been reading a lot about you in the Prophet."
"Oh?" Harry responded, unsure if there was something specific she was wanting to talk about. He hadn't really thought about the fact that people as young as Emily would hear or read about what he'd said at the hearing. Her parents were looking at her with admonishing expressions, but it didn't bother Harry to talk to her about it, especially considering he'd already told the whole world about it.
"Yeah, they've been talking about you all week. I didn't know that you did all those things they talked about," she replied, and he realised that the hearing had sort of served as a kind of summary of his exploits and adventures over the past seven years.
"If you can believe it, he's done way more than they talked about at his hearing," Ginny responded, almost scandalously, winking at Harry.
"Really?" Emily asked, wide-eyed, and Ginny nodded.
"All sorts of stuff. The hearing covered most of the important things, but he's done more than almost anybody realises because he doesn't talk about it."
He shrugged. "People already hear enough stuff about me. The last thing I need is for everyone to know everything about me– which rumours are true, which things have happened that there aren't even rumours for."
"I heard a rumour once that you're an Animagus who turns into a hippogriff. Is that true?" Emily asked, and both Harry and Ginny chuckled at that.
"I wish. That'd be pretty neat, but no, I'm not an Animagus," he answered.
"He did save one from being executed once though," Ginny added. Harry looked at her curiously, and she shrugged innocently. "Ron can't keep a secret. You know that." Harry snorted, reminded of just how bad Ron could be at keeping secrets.
"That's so cool!" Emily exclaimed excitedly.
Mr. Brooks suddenly cleared his throat. "We've also been reading everything in the Prophet. I– I wanted to apologise to both of you. The first time we met, I wanted to blame you– somebody– for Emily being there that night. But I read what you said to Lawrence Brown when he challenged you during the hearing– how you had no choice if you were going to win, how opportunities were provided for everyone to escape if they wanted, what you had to do to finish it…"
He trailed off and Harry awkwardly shifted in his seat, wondering if the man was planning on finishing his sentence or not. Finally, Mr. Brooks continued. "Anyways, I'm sorry for considering blaming you. You had to sacrifice just as much as anyone. I read that you're both receiving O.M.s– Emily's getting hers at the ceremony next week too. You both clearly deserve them, and I'm just– thank you for everything you both did, and thank you for being Emily's friends."
Mr. Brooks wiped his eyes, and both Mrs. Brooks and Emily nodded their agreement. "I've been saying they're heroes for a long time. I'm glad everyone else thinks so too now," Emily said, and once again, Harry and Ginny both smiled, at the Brooks family and at each other.
"We're not the only hero at the table," Ginny responded, and Emily blushed slightly.
"Anyone who was there that night is a hero to me," Harry added, making Emily turn even more red. Her parents were smiling proudly now, which he thought was much nicer than the fear, sadness, and anger they'd had over Emily's injuries when they'd first met them at St. Mungo's.
After tea, they were about to leave when Harry remembered a promise he'd made to Emily. "I believe I owe you a flight," he said, winking at Emily, who smiled widely and hurried to bring the broom outside. Harry mounted the broom close to the tail, and Mr. Brooks helped Emily onto the broom. He reached around Emily to grip the front of the broom with her.
"Ready?" he asked, and Emily nodded eagerly, grinning from ear to ear. Harry took one last look at Ginny, who was standing close by, holding Teddy in one arm, and smiling at both of them. Without saying a word, she placed her other hand on her heart before putting it back under Teddy. Harry winked again, smiling back at her.
"Let's go!" he shouted, kicking off from the ground and spiralling up and around the house, fully intent on giving Emily the best flight he could. A hero like her deserved that much, at least.
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A/N: There's a lot in this chapter about the future of characters and how they differ from typical expectations. I think the most notable change from the typical perception of characters is Hermione not returning to Hogwarts. I do understand that the Pottermore version of what happened after the Battle has Hermione returning to Hogwarts, but, in case it wasn't already obvious, I'm not writing the Pottermore story. Really, the biggest logistical reason that Hermione isn't going to Hogwarts is that she has to go find her parents. But I didn't really want to stop there with the explanation because I think people would question why she doesn't just start late. So I gave her a job that I've already hinted at a bit, with working in her passion with magical beings and their rights. I genuinely don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of fics have Hermione eventually working in this department. The Being Division is described in the Fantastic Beasts book, and it seemed perfect for Hermione. I should also mention, even though it isn't relevant in the slightest right now, that her joining this office doesn't mean I agree or disagree with her attempts to forcibly free house elves.
Anyways, because I'm thorough (or insecure, you pick), I felt like I needed even more reasons. Hermione noting that Ron might feel pressured to go back is an indication, in my mind, that she and him are even closer and more in tune than it always shows from Harry and Ginny's perspectives. That she's actually considering him in her plans for the future does show a great deal of relationship growth. And ultimately, the biggest reason, to me, is that I don't think Hermione would ever actually want to step foot in the place where the Battle happened again. This could be an interpretation that's wildly off base with most everyone else, but that's my opinion. She's very logical, but she's also incredibly emotional, and the Battle was the single most emotionally taxing time of her life. Even though she might not be having panic attacks, that doesn't mean that she doesn't have nightmares or terrible memories from it, and I don't think she'd be able to get past going back to the school in the same way that I believe Harry and Ginny would. So for all those reasons, along with the simple fact that I thought I could write a more interesting story without Hermione at Hogwarts, she isn't going back with them. I guess I should also mention that a love of learning doesn't necessarily mean that Hermione has no choice but to go to school. I refuse to believe there aren't educational opportunities beyond Hogwarts, both in her job and elsewhere, and I'm not going to suggest for one second that she's given that up.
Another significant character change is Percy. There's less to say here because I think or hope I've been slowly guiding him to this point for a bit. We saw him at the Ministry back in Chapter 22, and he was much more like the old Percy than he is around everyone else at home. He's recognised that he's not really in a frame of mind where working at the Ministry would be good for him, and he also really, really cares about taking care of George however he can. George is going to need quite a bit of help, and I think Percy being there for him is an interesting and compelling wrinkle in the story that makes a lot of sense. Also on Percy, just wanted to clarify that even though he did fight in the Battle, he wasn't officially a member of the Order, which is why he isn't receiving the same medal as the rest of his family, and may have also served as a bit of an ego check or reminder to him about who he used to be.
In the OotP film, Ginny's Patronus is shown to be a stallion. I think this is a pretty fitting Patronus for her, but it also has no foundation in the books, which never mention Ginny actually casting a Patronus or what form it took (for what it's worth, Cho's Patronus is actually mentioned as being a swan). Because of that, my interpretation is that, even though she and Harry were pretty good friends at that point, he was too preoccupied to really single her out and look specifically for hers. And they explain exactly my reasoning for picking a phoenix for Ginny. Hidden strength, overcoming adversity, loyalty, and a free will. Fawkes being in the Chamber when Ginny's feelings for Harry deepened was just a nice bonus that didn't actually affect my decision at all. I do think phoenix Patroni would be somewhat rare, but if you look online anywhere about Patroni, they'll say something like Dumbledore is the only person to ever have a phoenix Patronus, which just has no canon basis at all. He's the only person we know of in canon to have one, but that doesn't mean nobody else ever did, but I digress.
So that'll do it for What Comes Next… and what comes next is a very fun couple of chapters I think you're all really going to enjoy!
Coming Friday: Magical Days- "Surprise!" Ginny exclaimed, smiling widely at him.
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Zjy: Couple really interesting points/questions... Neville and Luna are definitely important characters in this story, but it's a little early for me to confirm who they're going to end up with long term or when they'll appear in the story as love interests. There is a very long term plan for it all though! As of now, Harry hasn't taught anyone else how to use the Patronus to speak (other than trying to teach Ginny in this chapter). The majority of the Weasleys already know how to do it because of their involvement in the Order though.
Finnspa23: I totally agree with you, it would've been really great to see Mr. Brown get what he deserves from Harry. He definitely got some of it from Ron, and there will eventually be more of that, but Harry's definitely not the type of person who would've called him out, as fun as it would've been.
Also really appreciate the guest comments! The reason Harry hasn't said anything about the Cruciatus is that nobody knows about those, and, frankly, he feels much less bad about using it on Amycus and trying to use it on Bellatrix than he does for using the Imperius on a random, innocent goblin. Whether he was right to talk about the forest is still something that is still being worked out in the minds of Harry and pretty much the rest of the world too though. And I will 100% confirm that Victoire will be a character in this story, eventually. Although, because she's still a student in the Epilogue, the earliest she can be born is over a year from where we're currently at in the story. So she will show up eventually, but it's still a ways away!