Healing the Broken

Chapter 36- Ron Ends Potions With A Bang

McGonagall looked at her class, her eyes filling with tears. She sniffles and pushes her glasses further up her nose, clasping her hands together to stare at the students she had worked hard with for seven years now. "You've all grown up."

It was true, they had all grown up from their little, eleven year old selves that they had first came here as, but they had known that they were growing up all along- but now it all felt too real.

It felt too real because it was their last full school day at Hogwarts.

Tomorrow brought a graduation ceremony in which Hermione was chosen to present at, a celebratory dinner like no other, and then a humongous party in the Great Hall, this way they could have all four houses there. Then, when morning came, they boarded the train and were sent off to live the rest of their lives.

Everyone was all teared up, for Hogwarts had served as their second home, and now that they were finished, they really didn't know what to do with their lives. Obviously Harry and Hermione had some sort of plan, but other than that...

Harry and Hermione had chosen to live in a small wizarding village called Rowena Lane, and Ron and Luna had bought the house directly next to them- the only thing separating them was a fence, a yard and a few walls. Hermione had even set everything up already, so the houses were ready to be moved into a day after they returned home from Hogwarts.

Harry had also sent a letter to Andromeda, and she had all of the paperwork regarding Harry and Hermione's care for Teddy all set up and taken care of, so that when they got their house, they also got Teddy.

But right now Harry was trying to live in the moment as much as possible, so that he could preserve his last real day of classes at Hogwarts. Exams were done and over with, and the teachers themselves had told them to burn all of their old assignments- but to turn in their books to serve as spares.

Hermione, on the one hand, had been appalled. "You burn your old assignments?"

Ron stares at her. "Doesn't everyone?"

"But- what if you want to go back and read them? Or learn something you've forgotten? Or use them for backing up a claim that you have?" Hermione asks, astonished.

Harry laughs. "Hermione, no one does that."

She looks at him, affronted. "I do."

"Yeah, but you're Hermione." Ron had said. And that was the end of that.

~~~~~

"Alright class, so, since today is our final Potions lesson that you will endear here at Hogwarts, unless, of course, you get held back, I've decided that we'll be doing something more fun. I'm going to let you choose a Potion, either from the book or another recipe that you have found in the library, one that you're sure you can complete, and then you will come up and demonstrate it's affects for the class. Are we clear? Brilliant!" Professor Slughorn waved his wand at the cupboards. "Cabinets are open for supplies, you all know that, and if for some reason you need something extra special, I'll retrieve it for you from the storage closet. Now, 1...2...3... Begin!"

Hermione pulls a large, thick and heavy book from her bag and sets it on the table.

"Advanced Potions? A complete set of the most complex and astounding potions known to mankind?" Ron reads aloud.

Harry makes a face. "Sounds ruddy hard."

Ron nods, turning to his cauldron. "I'm probably just going to make a simple hair enhancing potion."