Harry Potter and the Year After

Chapter Seventy-six: Last Day of Hogwarts

Chapter 76: Last Day of Hogwarts

April passed into May with spring flowers budding up in Hagrid's gardens and Neville's greenhouses. It seemed like no time had passed before Ginny's tryouts had come and gone. And then, in the second week of June she received a letter during the morning post.

Harry set his pumpkin juice down and turned to watch her as she read. Hermione and Ron still hadn't noticed anything from across the table.

"I did it," she said quietly, looking up at Harry.

"Wow," he said, "That's great! Ginny Weasley, professional Quidditch player!" He pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back.

"Wow," she said, looking down at the letter.

"What is it?" Hermione asked while at the same time, Ron asked, "Did you get on the team? Did you get Chaser?"

"Yep!" she said, smiling at both of them.

"My sister made the Holyhead Harpies!" Ron said, leaning over toward Seamus and Dean. They smiled and congratulated her. Then Ron stood and shouted across the Great Hall. "Malfoy! Ginny made the Holyhead Harpies!"

Draco turned and looked over at Ginny. He smiled and nodded and then, pointing his wand upward, he made a single silver spark, like a miniature firework, fly into the air before he turned away.

"Sit down, Ron," Ginny said, laughing.

Harry peered over at the letter lying on top of her toast. He couldn't help but notice a schedule at the bottom. He wasn't sure why it hadn't crossed his mind until now that she'd be gone a lot if she played professional Quidditch.

"Camp starts right after Ron and Hermione's wedding," Harry said, trying to make his voice sound normal but failing.

"Mm, yeah," she said, looking back down at the paper. "Yeah, that's... I'll be gone for like, six weeks for training. And then, wow look at this schedule... We'll play... thirty-eight games... and that's not including if we make it to Cup games or Champions' league..."

Harry felt his heart sink somewhere to the vicinity of his navel. Ginny seemed to sense this.

"I won't do it," she said, setting the paper down. "Not if that means not seeing you."

"What? No," Harry started, but she cut him off.

"I hadn't planned on this. Really, I never even thought this would be possible for me..." She watched him closely, obviously worried.

Harry glanced over at Ron and Hermione, who weren't even pretending not to be listening. He wanted to tell them to bugger off... He looked back to Ginny.

"Look, this isn't going to change anything," Harry said resolutely, "We'll Apparate to see each other as much as possible."

"But if I'm in training, and you're training to be an Auror... we're both going to be so tired..."

"It'll be fine," Harry said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. "We made it through worse than this."

"But are you sure?" she said, looking down as he held her hands in his. "I don't want to mess this up."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Tickets can be pretty expensive for the Harpies..."

"Well, lucky for me, I've got more money than I know what to do with. I'll owl and reserve a box for the season for home games," Harry said, smirking. She smiled back.

"I think I'd probably be able to get my boyfriend tickets anyway," she said, shrugging and flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"I thought you weren't going to tell them I'm your boyfriend?" He glanced back at Ron and Hermione. He saw that they were exchanging a look of relief. Ginny laughed.

"Thank you," she said, pushing his hair away from his forehead as he looked back at her. "You're really a lot more balanced than anyone gives you credit for."

He laughed at this. "No I'm not."

The next week passed in a haze of studying all day, every day, interspersed with nights spent in bed with Ginny. Likewise, Hermione and Ron were hardly ever apart between sleeping in the same bed almost every night, studying together and doing Head Girl and Head Boy duties.

Finally, N.E.W.T.s were finished. And, with a feeling akin to being clubbed over the head by a Troll, it was time to leave Hogwarts for good.

On the last day of school, Professor McGonagall called Harry to her office.

"I just wanted to thank you for teaching the first through fourth years Defense classes, Potter," she said as Harry neared her desk. He sat down in one of the chairs. Harry couldn't help but glance over his shoulder where Fawkes used to be...

"You're welcome," Harry said, turning to face her once more.

"Will you be back next year as our full-time Defense teacher?"

Harry considered this for a moment just to be polite. "Thank you, Professor, but no. It is still my wish to become an Auror."

She smiled. "Well, Potter. I thought you'd say that. Still thought I'd ask. The students performed excellently under your care."

"Thanks."

"There is one more thing." She slid open a drawer and took something out. With whatever it was tucked into her hand, she slid the drawer shut again. "Come with me."

Harry stood and followed her behind the desk and down a few steps through an odd little seating area. There, she unlocked a heavy wooden door with the key she had in her hand.

Then, they walked down a very short hall, flanked with three doors each. She unlocked the last door on the right with her wand. Once she opened the door, she stepped back.

As Harry walked into the room, which was only slightly bigger than a broom closet, the first thought he had was of when hundreds of Hogwarts acceptance letters had flooded the Dursleys' house back when he was eleven years old.

"I was unable to unlock this door all year until a few days ago, when I found these keys under a flap in the bottom of the drawer. The door wouldn't open with an unlocking spell."

Harry bent down and picked up an envelope near his feet which was one of an enormous pile taking up the majority of the room.

"It's fan mail," McGonagall explained, "all addressed to you. I dug through the pile a bit. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind—"

"They date back to when you were a baby," she said. "The first is written the day after your parents died. I could only tell because I accio'ed over a dozen letters that were written on that day. The last was written just before Professor Dumbledore died. I suppose the magic stopped working once he was no longer with us."

"I see," Harry said, straightening up. He smiled sadly at her. "Just another way Dumbledore tried to protect me, I suppose."

"Yes, I suppose," she said, shaking her head and looking around the room. There had to be thousands of letters stacked here. Harry wondered how he'd ever be able to read it all.

"Where would you like me to send them?" she asked, folding her hands around her wand and looking to Harry.

"Er, my parents' house in Godric's Hollow. That's where I'll be living now," Harry said.

She seemed to study him for a moment. "Alright," she said. She waved her wand and the letters all disappeared.