After the War

Chapter 46

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Ginny's eyes cracked open and she stretched her legs under the bed sheets, easing the tightness from her joints. With a yawn, she curled back into a ball like a cat, intending to instantly fall back asleep; but, a quick perfunctory glance across her shared dormitory stopped her eyes from closing back shut.

She glanced at the clock on the wall, barely being able to read the two hands in the hazy light, and saw that it was just past five o'clock in the morning. Ginny frowned and turned back towards Hermione, who was standing by a window, her arms crossed and leaning against the sill, still in her plaid pyjama pants and her hair pulled into a messy bun behind her head.

Ginny moaned softly, but forced her hand to flip the warm blankets off of her, and she padded quietly over to the window.

"You okay?" Ginny mumbled, stifling a second yawn.

Hermione started, clearly not realizing that Ginny was awake. Then she turned back to the window with a small, sad smile on her face.

"Yeah," she said simply.

Ginny nodded and stood next to her, leaning against the window sill too and staring out at the view reaching out below them.

"It's so beautiful in the mornings," Hermione whispered.

The sky was streaked with delicate layers of pink and yellow with the undersides of the clouds illuminated cheerfully. The top of the sky was still a dark blue, but the grassy fields of Hogwarts were dripping with morning dew and songbirds twittered above the forest's trees, calling gaily out to one another.

"Yeah. It is," Ginny agreed with a sigh. After a moment, she glanced at her friend and assumed that Hermione wasn't planning on saying anything else without some urging.

"Any reason why you decided to appreciate the view today at five in the morning?" Ginny asked with a friendly smile.

Hermione looked at her bewilderedly. She had assumed that Ginny could have guessed the answer to that question. "Ginny," she said slowly. "It's our last morning here."

Ginny's eyes grew wide. "Shit... We're graduating today, aren't we?"

Hermione laughed and nodded. "Yes, Ginny. Yes we are."

Ginny turned back to the window, suddenly eager to memorize every detail that she could and the two girls fell silent next to each other.

After a few minutes of mute contemplation, Ginny said, "I can't believe we're graduating."

Hermione sighed. "I can't believe we made it this far."

Ginny snorted. "Honestly! But I have to say, I'm glad you came back to finish off your schooling."

"Me too," she replied warmly.

Ginny wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder tightly before letting go and continuing to stare over the treetops.

"It doesn't feel real," Hermione said in a hushed voice.

"Maybe it'll feel real tomorrow?" Ginny asked uncertainly.

"Yeah... Maybe..."

The sun began to peek above the horizon, a tiny sliver of a ball of light illuminating the castle turrets.

"Do you feel ready?" Hermione whispered suddenly.

Ginny turned to her briefly and saw Hermione's pale face glowing in the early morning sun. "What do you mean?"