A Special Graduation

Cookie

Harry sat in the Gryffindor Common room.  As he watched the flames dance, all he could think about was his time at Hogwarts, the only home he knew.  He had lived with the Dursleys all his life, but their home was never his home.  They made it crystal clear that Harry was not welcome in their house because of what he was.  His parents had died at the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort, a powerful dark lord, leaving him parentless and alone.  These memories came alive before his eyes and he felt sick to his stomach.  Some nights when he was alone, he often wondered what it would have been like if he had never attended Hogwarts.  This night was one of them.  Getting his letter on his eleventh birthday was the happiest day of his life and now he was seventeen and would be graduating the next day.

Hermione and Ron crawled through the portrait hole and stopped short when they saw Harry sitting alone, his silhouette prominent as a dark shadow against the dying fire.  They had just come from the dungeons.  Hermione had been helping him brew a potion that Snape would have failed him if he didn’t make it properly.  They exchanged a nervous glance and sat tentatively beside Harry.

Harry felt their presence, but he wasn’t ready to acknowledge them yet.  But when he felt Ron’s hand on his shoulder, he looked up and managed a weak smile.

“Hey,” Ron said quietly, “It’s late.”

Harry shrugged and placed his face in his hands.  He was startled when he felt two arms snake around his neck and grip him tightly.

“Oh Harry,” said Hermione, “I know.”

“No, you don’t know,” he said annoyed.

He got up suddenly and paced the common room.  His hands made sporadic movements; first to rub his temples, his chest and face.

“For seven years, I’ve been coming to Hogwarts.  For eleven years, I lived as a Muggle and I never knew about magic much less that I was magic.”

Ron and Hermione watched their friend intently as he poured his heart out to them.  They each secretly wished he would stop doing this, but it would have been unfair, as he had never spoke this way before with so much passion.

“I lived in bondage!” Harry exclaimed, “Bondage!  Eleven years!  I was trapped in my own body!”  He stopped and turned to look at his friends and his voice quivered as he spoke.

“I had to deny who I was!” he clutched his hair, “Just…just forget the fact I was a wizard at the time and think about me,” he pointed to himself for emphasis.  He placed a hand against the wall and leaned on it, “I was never allowed to speak freely, express how I felt, share my ideas, I was told and brought up to be seen and not heard.  Then my life changed.  Hogwarts has been a home to me, the only home I can remember.”

Hermione stood and walked over to him, “But Harry,” she said softly, “you had a home.  The home you shared with the Dursleys…”

“No!” he shouted, “no,” he dropped his voice and gripped Hermione’s shoulders, “Listen to me and stop…just stop being a practical, logical know-it-all.”

Hermione bit her bottom lip and shrank back.  She turned her eyes away from his as she felt his harsh words seep into her skin.

“Hogwarts has been my home and I am afraid to leave,” he walked around the room, touching the chairs, tables and pictures, “Where do I go from here?”

Ron got up and chuckled nervously, “Harry, old boy, we’ll get through.”

Harry looked him in the eye and Ron gasped at the raw sadness and hopelessness he saw.

“Will we?”

Ron nodded and patted Harry on the back, “We will.  I’ll make sure.”

For the first time that night, Harry smiled and embraced Ron.

“Thanks for being my best friend Ron.”

“Any time.”

Neither noticed the silent tears that ran down Hermione’s cheeks.  She had tried for all these years to be their best friend.  Then, on this, their last night together as students of Hogwarts, Harry finally told her what he thought of her…a practical, logical, know-it-all.  It wasn’t even what he said, but how he said it.  Bitterness laced his voice like poison and he had hurt her feelings.  She had always felt closer to Harry than Ron, because Harry had always been the one to protect her and look after her while Ron quarreled and they bickered.  Hearing Harry’s words, made her feel lost and she cringed to think what Ron thought of her.  And now, her two best friends were sharing a close moment without her and for the first time, she felt like she was intruding.

“Good night,” her voice shook with bottled up humiliation.  She cursed herself, how could she have been so stupid to open up to them?

Harry and Ron looked at her and seemed mildly surprised that she was still there.

“Wait,” said Harry and he walked over to her.  He clasped his hands behind his back and cleared his throat, “Thank you Hermione.”

Hermione shook her head trying to understand what he was saying, “For what?”

“For watching our backs,” Ron chimed in as he stood beside Harry, “For getting us out of trouble…you know.”

It was an awkward feeling for all three of them.  Hermione was on one side, as the boys faced her side by side.  Ron was wondering why she wasn’t saying anything, instead she had this strangled look that sent shivers up Harry’s spine.

“Good night Harry and Ron,” she said again and walked up to her head girl dormitory without looking back.

****************************

The Hogwarts seventh years were gathered inside the Entrance Hall.  Some were sobbing hysterically, others were laughing and signing autographs.  Colin Creevey could be seen here and there, taking photographs off friends and couples.  Harry was walking around by himself, going through his speech over and over, each being the last time.  Ron was kissing Lavender and she was crying hysterically.  Hermione had stayed in her dormitory, wanting to cry on her own and decided that it had been time to go down when it was almost time for the march.

The students were lining up and whispering excitedly as Professor McGonagall scolded Parvati Patil for wearing ornaments in her hair.  Harry had got a sudden sense of nostalgia and was scanning the mass of black for Hermione.  He stood on tiptoes and shielded his eyes from the sun.  He saw Ron nipping away at Lavender’s ear lobe; he saw Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Seamus, Dean, Millicent Bulstrode and Mandy Brocklehurst.  He saw everyone except for Hermione.  He decided resignedly to join his marching partner, Padma Patil.  He had stood beside her, feeling an unusual amount of depression and disappointment when he saw Hermione join Seamus Finnegan near the front of the line.  He broke the line and ran up to her.

“Hermione!” he gasped, “Where have you been?”

Hermione had been smoothing her robes and looked up.  Her smile faltered when she saw that it was Harry.

“Oh, hi,” was all she said.

Harry was floored by her reaction, but recovered quickly and took her hand in his.  She pulled away sharply and avoided his hurt gaze.

“Hermione, I was looking for you and I…where were you?”

“Mister Potter!” came Professor McGonagall’s sharp voice, “Get in your spot now!  We are about to march!”

Harry cringed and whispered to Hermione, “Meet me after the ceremony.”

Hermione stared longingly at her friend.  No matter how down she felt about last night, she couldn’t help but feel that there was hope after all, that maybe he didn’t mean what he said.

The music started and the students marched down the aisle that had been created.  Over a hundred people were there.  Harry could make out a row of red heads and saw Mrs. Weasley’s tear stained cheek as she waved her handkerchief at him.  Harry smiled back and gave a small wave.  He saw a black dog standing beside his old professor and friend, Remus Lupin.  Sirius had not been able to come in his human form, even though his name had been cleared.  People were still weary of him and he didn’t want to create an uproar and ruin his godson’s day.  Sirius was wagging his tail and Remus was smiling proudly.  Harry felt goose bumps flood his skin as he approached the front.  There, on a raised platform, stood all of the Hogwart’s professors.  He could make out Professor Flitwick, Professor Sinistra, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore.  Dumbledore was smiling proudly, the twinkle in his eye, evident even from afar.  Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Professor Snape’s satisfied expression, quite unusual for him as Harry was used to seeing his sneer and scowls.  Harry also saw some unusual faces, which he assumed were the members of the school Board and the Ministry for Magic.

The music stopped and everyone remained standing.  Professor Dumbledore approached the podium and pointed his wand at his throat.

“Sonorous,” he whispered.

“Welcome, family and friends to the Graduation of 1998!  You may be seated.”

A low rumble was heard as everyone sat.  The students sang the Hogwarts School song and the Hogwarts Ghosts charged them to be the best generation of witches and wizards.  Time went by quickly and soon enough it was time for the Valedictory Speech.

“I now present to you, the Valedictorian of the Class of 1998, Hermione Granger.”

Hermione walked up to podium, slowly and purposefully.  Harry saw her face break out into a smile and he looked in the direction to see whom it was for.  He felt himself smile too when he saw Hermione’s parents.  Her mother was holding her fist in her mouth and her father was nodding.  He was so proud of her.

Hermione directed her attention to everyone else and cleared her throat.

“The Chairman, Members of the platform, Our Guest Speaker,” acknowledged Hermione.  Harry saw Percy Weasley raise his head at the mention of ‘Guest Speaker.’

“Ladies and Gentlemen, my fellow students, good evening and welcome.”  Hermione took in a deep breath and smiled weakly, “I have no speech.”

There was a stunned silence.  The teachers glanced at each other and Professor Dumbledore watched her intently.  Harry didn’t understand what Hermione meant by she had no speech.  Of course she had one!  She had been writing it for weeks!

“I wrote a speech, but what is the sense of saying goodbye when you have to plan it and not say it from your heart on the spur of the moment?  Hogwarts has been a haven for me.  Some people would call it their home.”

Hermione gave Harry a small smile.  Harry looked behind him and saw Ron gaping at Hermione.

“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has always been and still is a noble institution where teaching and learning the art of magic takes place.  This place is the first thing that greets you when you are welcomed into a magical realm.  For me, it has been special, being the Muggleborn I am.  This castle is the step into an unknown world and I will never feel the same awe I felt when I learned I was a witch and when I came here…ever again.”

Hermione continued their speech.  Harry was amazed at how the words came so fluently when she had no paper in front of her.  Everyone was so caught up in her speech and Harry didn’t blame him or her.

“And so, the time has come for us to leave our home away from home and for some of us, the only home we know.  We are growing up and thanks to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school that is made noble because of the professors that teach here, we can now go into the world as full-fledged capable witches and wizards of tomorrow.  Goodbye dear school.  Thank you.”

Mrs. Weasley was the first person to jump out of her seat, clapping enthusiastically.  She was sniffing and waving at Hermione.  Almost immediately after, the air was filled with applause that sent birds flapping into the sky out of the forbidden forest.  Harry was astonished to see even Professor Snape clapping and thought that may be there is some hope in the world after all.

Other students such as, Draco Malfoy and Justin Finch Fletchley made other smaller speeches.  But nothing, apart from Hermione’s speech, could compare to Ron’s speech when he introduced his brother as the guest speaker.

Ron stood in front of everyone and started laughing.

“Fred and George!” he said, “Get a load of this!  I have to say something nice about Percy!”

Fred and George stood up and waved at Ron.

“Oi Ron!  How long did it take you to write a nice speech?”  Fred asked.

“Took me longer than Hermione!” he exclaimed, eyes wide.

Fred and George as well as the rest of the seventh years riled up.  Percy’s face flushed with embarrassment and eventually everyone else joined in.  The meaning of Ron’s statement was lost upon everyone except for the students and the twins, but they laughed all the same just because they found the friendly banter among brothers about their brother amusing and cute.

“Well,” began Ron, “There is not much to say, but this.  My brother is the most ambitious person I know.  He takes everything seriously and my brothers and I love to tease him.  But no matter how much we tease him; we love him all the same.  He was an outstanding Hogwarts student, very bright, was prefect and head boy.  I present to you, my brother, Percy Weasley.”

Percy got up amidst loud cheers and stop to face Ron.  They looked at each other for a long time, each face grim.  Then Ron’s broke out into a huge grin, as did Percy’s.  They hugged each other and patted one another on the back.

“Thanks Ron,” Percy whispered.

“Anytime Perce.”

Percy’s speech was inspiring and even knocked the socks off his twin brother’s feet.  Parvati sang a song while Lavender played the violin.  Harry thought that Parvati would do well at the opera and Lavender was very good on the violin.  Tears were shared during the piece and at the end, the best friends hugged on another and left the stage together.

The diplomas were handed out one by one.  Hermione received top award, followed by Harry then Draco Malfoy.

“And now,” said Professor Dumbledore, “We have Harry Potter giving the vote of thanks.”

Harry’s insides suddenly felt like jelly.  He had lost his speech somewhere between there and in the entrance hall.  But he had to say something, so he did what Hermione did, only not by choice.

He stood at the podium facing everyone.  He could hear people mumbling and talking about him.  He felt himself blush.

“He’s got so tall!”

“I remember him when he was only a babe!”

“He is a handsome lad, sturdy looking and sharp!”

“Splitting image of his father!”

“Yeah, but he has his mother’s eyes!”

“I can’t believe he’s graduating already.  Just the other day he was the boy who lived!”

“Polly, he is still the boy who lived.”

Harry waited for the conversations to die down and then he cleared his throat.

“Well, I had a speech.  And like Hermione, I don’t have one anymore, only it was not my choice.  I lost it.”

The mumbling started again.

“You know, his father lost his speech too!”

“Typical Potter!”

“I think it is sweet!”

“Oh Polly, we all know you’re infatuated with the boy!”

Harry’s cheeks definitely burned red and he smiled embarrassedly.

“I would like to thank everyone for coming.  I thank all the professors, especially Albus Dumbledore who has been a father figure to me.  Thank you Mr. Weasley for being our guest speaker, thank you everyone and goodbye.”

Hermione chuckled as Harry walked by.

“Nice speech.”

Harry glared at her, “I said thanks!”

“I now present to you the Graduating Class of 1998!”

The graduates stood and threw their hats into the air.  Ron ran up to Harry and Hermione and gathered them in a bear hug.

“We did it!” he shouted happily, “We graduated!  Guys, we made it!”

Harry laughed, “Yeah Ron.  We did.”

Hermione just smiled.  Harry left them and walked off to the lake.  He was hoping Hermione hadn’t forgot to meet him.  A light breeze was blowing and Harry could just make out the giant squid beneath the surface of the lake.

“Hi.”

Harry turned and saw Hermione standing some distance away from him.  He walked up to her and smiled gently at her.

“Hey,” he said.

Hermione smiled, but Harry noticed her smile didn’t extend to her eyes.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Oh,” said Harry.  He ran his hands through his hair, “I just wanted to know if you’re alright.”

Hermione looked him in his eyes.  She opened her mouth to say she was fine, but stopped herself.

“No, I’m not,” she answered shortly.

Harry frowned, “What’s wrong?”

Hermione looked down at her feet then back up at him again.

“Our friendship.”

Harry gasped, but she didn’t wait for him to say anything.

“I feel like these seven years have made up one big lie…you know.  I thought I was yours and Ron’s best friend, but I realized that you two were only using me to get you out of trouble and just bared with me as I was the tag along.”

Harry was shocked.  His mouth was slightly open.  He couldn’t believe his ears!  Hermione’s lips were pursed and his hands hung loosely by his sides.  He felt the blood drain from him and like he was about to pass out.

“But Hermione,” he croaked, “What made you think…think…that?”

“Last night,” she said, “You called me a practical, logical know-it-all…”

Harry smiled gently and grasped her upper arms.  He looked into her eyes.

“I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but you are, love.”

This stunned Hermione.  That was the first time Harry ever called her…love.

“But Harry,” she insisted, “It’s not what you said, it was how you said it.”

Harry sighed, “Hermione, I was…you know, a bit upset last night.  Look, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Hermione saw his deepest regrets in his eyes and she knew he meant his apology.  Harry let go of her and pleaded with her with his eyes.

“Alright.  I accept your apology for that.”

Harry frowned, “There’s more?”

Hermione nodded, “You and Ron hugged.  You called each other best friends…you know.  You guys had a best friend moment and I was not included.  Then you told me thanks and Ron said yea, for saving your asses.”

Harry felt guilty, “We didn’t mean it like…that,” he said.

Hermione backed away from him, “Well you still had your best friend moment and left me out when I was there!  I don’t mean to sound like a spoilt brat but…”

“You’re right,” said Harry softly, looking away.

Hermione sputtered, “I am?”

“As usual,” Harry said smiling and Hermione couldn’t help but return his smile.

“Harry, I just need to hear it, even at least once.  Am I your best friend too?  Or even a friend?”

Harry shook his head slowly and held his head down, “no,” he said softly.

Hermione felt as if someone ripped her heart out and she felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

“I’m not?” she asked like a lost child.

Harry cringed when her heard the tone in her voice.  He had to tell her now.

“Not to me.  I…I…I love you Hermione.”

Harry completely turned away and closed his eyes.  He felt a hand on his shoulder and his face being turned.  He opened his eyes, to see that he was looking into Hermione’s.  She was smiling at him.

“That means…SO much to me,” she said.

Hermione tiptoed and pressed her lips against his.  Harry closed his eyes and returned the pressure.  He felt the sparks and electricity when her soft lips touched his.  His arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her closer, closing all the space in between. 

Hermione pulled back smiling radiantly.  She laughed when she saw Harry grinning goofily.

“I love you too Harry Potter.”

Harry felt his heart beat faster and painfully against his ribs.

“Be my girlfriend Hermione,” he said huskily.

Hermione nodded and removed his glasses from his face.  He looked older and his green eyes shone brighter.  His smile faded and he was staring intently into her eyes.  He wanted to kiss her so badly, but he knew that this was a moment he could not ruin.  He unconsciously held her tighter and she lifted a hand to touch his scar.  He felt a shiver go through him.  She traced the scar with her index finger and down his nose to his lips.  She ran her finger over his soft hued lips and down his chin.  Her hand traveled down and stopped at his chest.  She could feel the broadness and strength.  Harry had grown to be strong.  She loved his hands and arms.  His arms were tones and strong.  His hands were soft, but strong and they told a story.  Harry leaned in and kissed her again, this time she parted her lips and he explored her mouth and feel of her.  He loved how she felt in his arms.  She felt small, but he knew better than to think Hermione was small.  He could feel her curls brush his hands.   He was in love with this girl and he could tell that she was in love with him too.

Ron stood on the small hill and watched his best friends in their private moment.  Part of him wanted to join them and yell that he knew they had feelings for each other.  It was in Hermione’s eyes when she looked at him and they way she responded to him and it was in the way he treated her differently from everyone else.  He suddenly felt lonely, but he was happy for them.  He was happy for his friends, like a friend should be, when they found love, even if they found it with each other.  As he stood there, sharing in their moment of happiness, he prayed to God that they would never fall out of love with each other and that He would guide them.  He felt proud to know that he was true and mature enough to give them his blessing.

His trail of thought broke when he felt two hands cover his eyes.  He smiled and turned around to see his wonderful girlfriend, Lavender smiling happily at him.

“Hey Lav,” he crooned.

She kissed and sighed, “Today is beautiful isn’t it?”

Ron nodded, “I agree.  A beautiful day for a beautiful ceremony.”

Lavender laced her fingers through his, “Yes…and a beautiful day for young love.”

Ron nuzzled her neck, “So you see them too?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I think it is wonderful and they look good together.”

Ron turned around to look at his friends and saw them talking and holding hands.  He wrapped his arm around Lavender’s shoulders and she lay a hand on his chest.  Harry looked up and saw them looking at them.  He smiled and waved.  Hermione turned around too waved.

“We’re together!” Harry shouted, “Hermione and I are together!”

Ron grinned, “I know mate!  Congrats to both of you!”

It was truly the perfect day.