A Hogwarts Reunion: A Cliche with a Twist!

Harry Potter leaned back in his plush leather chair and stretched indulgently. He sighed with relief, glancing at the mountain of files he had just finished updating. No one had mentioned that becoming an Auror would involve so much paperwork. Harry had a secretary at his office at the Ministry of Magic, however she could only handle so much of the work: many of the files contained information that was only privy to qualified Aurors such as himself.

Harry Potter, a qualified Auror, he thought to himself, a smile creeping onto his face. It had been almost two years since Harry had completed his training, but he still felt a swoop of pride in his stomach when he thought about it.

Feeling slightly reckless, Harry swung his feet up onto the huge mahogany desk that took up most of his study. Jammed into the remaining space was an enchanted filing cabinet (it would produce the desired file when Harry spoke the name) and an assortment of contraptions Harry had been given by Mad-Eye Moody during his Auror training (although Harry barely knew what most of them were for). The desk, like the rest of the room, was a little chaotic, littered with discarded quills, untidy piles of paper and empty pots of ink. Several frames, bearing photographs of Harry's friends grinning and waving, were displayed haphazardly amongst the mess, along with a number of birthday cards adorned with moving images and the words Happy 23^rd Birthday, Harry!

Harry daydreamed as he stared out of the window. It was rare to have a moment to himself, and he let his mind wander as he watched the rain splatter on the window. He absently watched a droplet as it wound its way down the pane, joining other droplets as it travelled until it reached the bottom as one large drip and rolled off the window ledge.

The peace and quiet was too good to last. There was a knock at the door. Harry jumped, then quickly composed himself.

'Come in!' he called

A small creature with bat-like ears, a long nose and enormous eyes entered the room.

'Sorry to disturb you, Mister Potter, sir, but an owl has just arrived with letter from Hogwarts. Dobby did not think Mister Potter would want me to wait to deliver it to him'

Harry's heart lifted as the house elf handed him a square of neatly folded parchment bearing the familiar Hogwarts seal. He had a feeling he knew what this letter would be

'Thanks, Dobby,' Harry said cheerfully. Dobby bowed and backed out of the room, closing the door silently.

Harry smiled when he remembered the day he had invited Dobby to leave Hogwarts to work for him. Despite the fact that Dobby had loved working at Hogwarts (after all, it was his first 'real' job with actual pay) he had looked as though he might burst with glee at the offer to work for his beloved Harry Potter.

Harry unfolded the letter.

Mr. H. Potter

21 Rose Tree Lane

Godric's Hollow

Dear Mr. Potter,

It is with great pleasure that I announce that Hogwarts will be holding a reunion for all former pupils and staff on the evening of Saturday 20^th August. The festivities will begin at seven o'clock in the Great Hall and dinner shall be served at eight o'clock sharp.

I sincerely hope that you and a guest will be able to attend what I expect to be a wonderful evening.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Head Mistress

Harry felt a flicker of nerves in his stomach. He had known plans for this reunion were in the works. After all, part of his job as an Auror involved Hogwarts security, and so he was in regular contact with the staff. School security may not be as much of an issue now as it was five years ago during that awful time, but it was still high on the list of priorities for the Ministry.

Still, it was not often that Harry actually set foot in the building, and each time brought back such chilling memories. So much of the horror from the final years of Voldemort's reign of terror took place at Hogwarts. But even memories of his happiest moments at school were tinged with sadness after losing many of the people who contributed to those times.

Snap out of it, Potter, he told himself. Those days were over. Harry was happy now. His life had settled down. With Voldemort out of the picture, people were not half as interested in what 'The Chosen One' got up to, so he was finally left in peace by acid-quilled journalists. He loved his job, he had fantastic friends in his colleagues, and, recently, he had a beautiful girlfriend.

A smile crept onto Harry's face at the thought of Kate, a witch he had met through a fellow Auror and who worked at St. Mungo's as a Healer. Kate had been a Hogwarts student too, several years ahead of Harry, and a Hufflepuff. Harry did not remember her at all, although Kate had obviously been aware of famous Harry Potter, 'The Boy Who Lived,' attending her school.

From the moment Harry met her, Kate had him transfixed. There was an aura about her which had reduced him to a stuttering, gibbering wreck - Harry would almost have sworn she had some Veela blood in her. Even now, two months on, he could not remember a moment when her presence had not created butterflies in his stomach. Without the bullying of his friends, Harry doubted whether he would have ever plucked up the courage to say hello, let alone ask her out.

Harry sighed. Kate was beautiful, yes, but it did not explain why it was quite so hard for him to relax around her. They had so much in common, after all. Plus, from her job at St, Mungo's, she had experienced the full brunt of the devastation Lord Voldemort spread and could understand it in a way not many people did. She had also experienced first hand what it was like to lose friends to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Friends who were closer than even blood relatives.

For the second time that day, Harry found his thoughts straying to the past. One particular memory floated to the front of his mind. Harry recalled the day of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, during the summer after his sixth year at Hogwarts. It was one of the last happy memories Harry had of his friends all together.

It was a gorgeously warm day, absolutely perfect for a wedding. Harry sat contentedly in the sunshine, feeling completely stuffed from the delicious meal. He was feeling slightly sleepy after his first ever taste of Firewhisky, and he struggled to keep his eyes from slipping shut. Next to him, Fred and George were chatting animatedly about the latest addition to the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes line.

'So what do you say,' George said, lazily, turning to Ron. 'You coming on board with us next year?'

Ron was sprawled on his back, propped up on his elbows. Hermione was leaning against his knees, reading. Every so often Ron would whisper in her ear, they would giggle, and Hermione would twist around and kiss him. Harry, though delighted to see his friends finally together, tried not to watch. It was becoming ever so slightly nauseating.

'Really? You want me to work for you?' Ron asked his brothers, wide-eyed.

'With us, Ron, with us,' Fred corrected. 'After all, we're going to need somebody to head up the shop we're buying in Hogsmeade, and who better than our own flesh and blood? Unless you have other plans?'

Ron shook his head vehemently. 'That sounds brilliant!'

'What about me?' Ginny interjected. She was lying on her front, playing with her pygmy puff, Arnold.

'You will still have another year of school left after this one, little sis,' Fred told her.

Ginny snorted and muttered something that sounded to Harry like 'Not much point in going back.' Harry knew Ginny was worried about her O.W.L. results. With everything that had happened at the end of term, Harry was not surprised she had been distracted from her studies. He felt a twinge of pity for her and wished he could do something, anything, to make her feel better. But it was no longer his place to comfort her. That part of Ginny's life had stopped being part of his when he broke up with her a few weeks ago.

'What about you, Hermione?' Fred enquired. 'What are you going to do after Hogwarts?

'Well, look, don't laugh,' Hermione began, looking embarrassed, 'But I thought I might go to Oxford.'

She was met with blank looks from the Weasley siblings, but Harry stared at her incredulously.

'You want to go to Muggle university?' he asked incredulously. One of the twins snorted.

'Hermione, I always knew you were a bookworm but that just takes the biscuit!' George laughed. 'Any excuse to carry on studying!'

'Well, it was my ambition when I was a little girl,' she said quickly, blushing furiously.

'What, you were thinking about university when you were four?' Fred teased. Hermione ignored him.

'It was where my parents both studied, and they always wanted me to go there too,' she explained proudly. 'Of course, things were different once we found out I was a witch. But still, it would be nice to fulfil their dream. And my dream, of course.' Hermione smiled shyly.

'But how will you apply?' Harry asked, slowly. 'Last I heard, Muggle universities didn't recognise N.E.W.T.s!'

Hermione, of course, had thought of everything.

'I'll go to a sixth form college and take A-Levels first,' she answered briskly.

'Muggle exams,' she explained quickly as Fred opened his mouth to ask.

Ron kissed Hermione on the top of her head.

'I think it's a great idea, Hermione,' he told her. Hermione giggled girlishly and lifted up her head to kiss Ron.

Turning away from them in disgust, Harry's gaze met Ginny, who silently mimed being sick in the direction of her brother. Harry suppressed a laugh. Then he was struck with the thought that a few weeks ago it had been he and Ginny who were the sickening couple. Ginny seemed to read his mind, and she blushed. Instead of turning away though, she fixed her gaze on him and said,

'What are you going to do next year, Harry?'

Everyone became silent, not quite meeting his gaze. He knew what they were thinking, because he was thinking it too. Would he even survive to be here in a year's time?

'Harry's going to be an Auror, aren't you, Harry?' Ron finally announced, proudly.

'Well, I don't ... I mean, I'd need really good N.E.W.Ts ... I'm not sure yet,' Harry stammered feebly.

'You'll do it, Harry,' Ginny told him softly.

In his study, Harry gazed out at the rain and felt a chill running up and down his spine. He and his friends had all had dreams. Some of them had come true. Others had been cut short. It was not fair. Not fair at all.