Harry Potter and the Desideratum Crusade [Harmione]

62. Closing The Final Chapter

He approached the bed slowly, his caution based on the last time he had interrupted the two. He didn't fancy having another wand poked up his nose. The two figures were still sleeping, and his shoulders slumped with relief. Waking them up was much better than...well, he wouldn't think about that, it made his ears burn.

He looked around the normally fastidious room and frowned. Ever since the death of the Defeated One, this room had become untidy. He was going to have to find a way to talk to the master and missus about that one. Clothes strewn about the floor, parchment quills and books just left where they had fallen. Someone would think that they were in a hurry to get to bed. He shook his head and smacked himself for letting his thoughts wander down that road again. He raised his hand to remove the mess, and stopped. The last time he had done that, he had been banished from the room for a week. He didn't need that to happen again. He sighed, and decided to clean up later, during the ceremonies.

He edged over to the side of the bed, and taking a deep breath, he tapped the wizard on the shoulder.

"Harry Potter, sir," he said.

The young man on the bed stirred and rolled over, searching for his glasses as he did so.

"What time is it?" Harry mumbled as he rubbed his eyes before putting his glasses on.

"Six o'clock, sir. You had asked me to wake you early today."

"Mmph," Harry said as he scrubbed his face. "Thank-you."

Dobby bobbed his head, and with one last doleful look around, disappeared.

Harry lay back down, staring at the ceiling. It was their last day at Hogwarts. He had decided that he wanted to say his good-byes alone this morning. He leaned over and kissed the bare shoulder beside him. The last few months had been incredible. His love for Hermione had grown stronger, and in-between classes they had spent the time getting to know each other better, even though he didn't think it was possible. He loved her with all his heart, and he was thankful for every day that he had to spend with her.

She stirred sleepily and rolled over, searching for him. She still had nightmares, but the frequency was becoming less and less. Harry hugged her, feeling her soft skin against his, and for a moment, thought about abandoning his plan and staying here, wrapped in her warmth. She nuzzled his chest and he kissed the top of her head before gently pulling away from her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" she asked sleepily.

"I'll be fine," he said. "I won't be gone long."

He dressed quickly and quietly, and left the room. He could hear snoring coming from Ron's room and wondered how Luna could put up with it. He had asked her once, and she had said that it kept the Pustilebiddies away. They had sounded rather disgusting, and he didn't want to hear anymore about them, so he left it at that. He was happy that his best mate was content with his life.

The halls were still quiet, even the repaired paintings and their occupants were still sleeping. It could have something to do with the late night partying that had gone on, not just in the Great Hall, but also throughout the newly repaired castle. The fact that there was actually a graduating class and a school to graduate from, was cause for a celebration at its finest. Harry smiled to himself as he remembered watching Headmistress McGonagall doing a Scottish jig when she thought no one else was looking, and the look on Snape's face was priceless when she had kicked up her heels.

Snape. Now there was an interesting study. The Potions master had gone back to being his surly old self after the war. Harry knew that the man hated being indebted to him. The only thing that had changed was the begrudging respect that Harry could see in his eyes whenever the two of them were in contact with each other. Snape was very good at hiding it when others were around, but that didn't matter as much to Harry anymore. Of course, just to add salt to Snape's wounds, Harry had been called to testify on Snape's behalf after the war. Without his testimony, the man would have ended up in Azkaban with the other Death Eaters, and Snape knew that. It just frustrated him even more to be indebted to James' son, much to Harry's delight. His potions classes had become easier as well, thanks mainly to Amoura's knowledge, and his new fragile friendship with Draco had put an end to any of the taunting from that side of the table.