White Heather for Protection

As One Door Closes

Of course, after the events at the Department of Mysteries, Fudge couldn't continue his denials anymore. (Not to mention he was already in hot water with the whole Umbridge fiasco.) He was forced to admit that Voldemort had, indeed, returned and was planning on continuing his reign of terror. News spread quickly, bringing panic to Wizarding Britain at large. As long as they kept her brother out of it, Heather left them to it.

However, for her and her friends, life in Hogwarts for the remainder of the school year just seemed relatively boring compared to the prior events. From Umbridge's iron-fisted regime and subsequent downfall, to the DA sessions, to the Department of Mysteries ambush, the NEWTs were a walk in the park in comparison.

Heather had never had a problem with her studies, so she wasn't overly stressed by the exams that were pretty much the sole determinant of her professional success in Wizarding Britain. Fred and George mostly took it pretty easy too, though Heather made sure they studied enough to pass everything.

They were aiming for at least Os in Charms, Potions and Herbology for their business. Well, Herbology for George, anyway. Fred would be lucky to scrape by an Acceptable, black thumb that he was. It would give them higher clearance to cultivate certain plants, which was a much cheaper source of ingredients than buying them.

As a graduation surprise, Heather had already put in a down-payment for the property in Diagon Alley they were looking at. The twins' dream of a shop was just a breath shy of being reality. Now, if only they could just decide on a name already!

"Finally!" Fred shouted as they exited the room where their very last exam, Transfiguration, had been held.

"We're free at last!" George hollered.

"No more homework-"

"-no more tests-"

"-NO MORE PROFESSORS!"

Someone cleared their throat behind them. Heather stifled a laugh when she turned and saw Professor McGonagall staring at Fred and George with her mouth fixed in a stern line and an eyebrow raised.

"Not that we don't love you, Prof McG," they said immediately, smiling with their eyes wide.

After a tense moment, something happened that made Heather question everything that she knew. Professor McGonagall cackled. Cackled.

"Finally," she echoed Fred's earlier sentiment with clear relish. "Finally, I can be rid of you miscreants!"

The three of them gaped as the normally austere Professor grinned wider. "Now go, before I decide to give you all one last detention!"

They had no compunction running off at that threat.

"No running in the halls!"

"Sure thing Minnie!" the three of them called out behind them.

They heard the outraged shout even from a few corridors away.

~~~

Hogwarts did its graduation ceremony like it did everything else – grandly and eccentrically. For one thing, it was conducted in the dead of the night, so that the stars shone on the students as they began their journey outside of Hogwarts, or something like that. Only graduating students and their families were invited, though there wasn't a strict ban if other students wanted to attend and see what it was like. It was the one night of the school year where curfew wasn't enforced.

It was only when the clock struck ten that the large doors to the Great Hall were let open to admit the throngs of excited graduates-to-be. Heather hadn't attended the ceremony in previous years, so she didn't know what to expect.