Headmistress McGonagall stood in front of the students at the welcoming feast on September first, 1998.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. This year is, of course, all about reconciliation and rebuilding our school and our society in general. During our professors' meeting, the most extraordinary event happened. The Sorting Hat spoke, announcing that this year not only the first years would need to be sorted, but also the students who found themselves as active participants of the unfortunate events of the war. The Sorting Hat has explained that these students have gone to a deep transformation, and their priorities and personalities may have changed in many ways. So to ensure that everyone is where they belong, the students from the seventh and eighth-year class would be re-sorted. Since most of you are of age or will be very soon, you will be assigned separate quarters within your House and allowed privileges like extended curfews and permission to attend your family business whenever necessary."

There were murmurs, moans and complains among the few students that had come back to complete their education. There were also some resounding silences, especially from the older members of Slytherin house. Some of them really hoped they would be sorted somewhere else while others didn't know if they could adapt to a new house. The Gryffindors were nervous too. Things had been awkward between them during the summer, after the relationships that they all thought they would have had fallen apart. Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, even Neville and Luna somehow just did not work once they were done running from danger. They were all being kind to each other, but the distance was obvious. They all sat nervously through the sorting of the first years, then the younger students were dismissed and only the seventh and eight years remained in the Great Hall.

"Ah! Good evening to you, old friends," said the Sorting Hat. Gather round, gather round, for tonight we rediscover ourselves."

McGonagall stood in front of them and called students in alphabetical order. Every time a student sat on the stool and got the hat on, a question was asked in their heads

"What do you really want?"

McGonagall called

"Goyle, Gregory"

"What do you really want?" asked the Hat.

"Something new," he thought.

"Hufflepuff!"

He felt a huge relief, saw his tie turn yellow and went to sit on his new table.

"Granger, Hermione."

"What do you really want?"

"To be happy," she thought.

"Ravenclaw!"

Well, this is not exactly what she meant. Of course, being smart made her happy, but she was hoping for something a bit more...romantic. She watched resigned how her tie turned blue and walked to her new table.

"Greengrass, Daphne"

"What do you really want?"

"A quiet life. And a family."

"Hufflepuff!"

That sounded kind of...exciting, weird as it was to call a badger's sett "exciting".

"Longbottom, Neville"

"What do you really want?"

"Someone special"

"Gryffindor!"

Interesting...

"Lovegood, Luna"

"What do you really want?"

"Happiness," she said

"Hufflepuff!"

She smiled. Hufflepuff was warm and cozy and next to the kitchens, where there was always pudding.

"Malfoy, Draco"

"What do you really want?"

"Love," was his first thought

"Ravenclaw!"

Well, that was odd. Maybe he was so unlovable that the only ones that wouldn't reject him were the books. His tie turned blue and he headed to the eagle's table. Granger was sitting there so he marched towards her and offered his hand. She squared her shoulders and shook it. Draco made a feeble attempt at a joke.

"May the best student win."

She lifted an eyebrow but smirked.

"You're on, Malfoy."

Fuck. she looks really cute in that blue tie. And that challenge was stupid. She will mop the floor with you, you fool. Oh well. C'est la vie.

"La vie en bleu," (life in blue) he blurted out loud.

"Exactement, mon ami" (exactly my friend) she answered automatically.

"Tu parles français?" (you speak french?).

"Oui, monsieur Malfoy" (yes, Mr. Malfoy) she answered, smiling.

Breathe, Draco, breathe.

"Parkinson, Pansy"

"What do you really want?"

"Forgiveness," she thought

"Slytherin!"

What the fuck? Does this mean she doesn't get to be forgiven? Her eyes pooled with tears as she moved back to the snake's table.

"Potter, Harry"

"What do you really want?"

"To find who I am and where I belong"

"Slytherin!"

Fuck! Really? Was he never gonna outlive the shadow of freaking Voldemort? He sighed and headed to the green table. He saw Parkinson sitting there, dapping at the corners of her eyes, gazing down. She looked miserable. He decided that he was a Gryffindor at heart, no matter what the Hat said, so he sat next to her

"Are you ok?" he asked, hesitant

Pansy looked up, eyes huge and full of tears. Then she choked the words

"I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

Harry felt his heart cringe. He looked around. They were the only two people sitting on the table. No one else was going to help this girl. He tentatively put his arm over her shoulders and she leaned in, unable to contain the sobs and the torrent of tears that took over her. He held her more firmly and his own eyes prickled. They were all victims here.

"Weasley, Ginevra"

"What do you really want?"

"Someone that really gets me," she thought.

"Gryffindor!"

She went back and sat next to Neville. He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. Ginny's heart skipped a beat. He had always been there. He took her to the Yule Ball, he was at the Department of Mysteries, he led the resistance and protected everyone last year, he killed the snake. She realized she was staring at his very handsome face and turned away, blushing.

"Weasley, Ronald"

"What do you really want?"

"Some more shortbread," his brain jumped

"Hufflepuff!"

He growled, but then shrugged. Harry was in Slytherin, Hermione in Ravenclaw, Neville in Gryffindor. Maybe they all needed to find their own path. And he really wanted more shortbread. He would go to the kitchens, which would now be conveniently close. That was a heartwarming thought. They were immediately dismissed, and Ron started walking in the direction of the entrance when another Hufflepuff caught up with him. Shit. He didn't realize Goyle was one too. The other boy was walking towards him and calling his name

"Weasley!"

Ron stood tall, waiting for the other one while Daphne and Luna seemed to be rushing towards them, probably fearing a confrontation. Goyle pulled out a letter from his robes

"Thank you. For saving my life. You didn't have to, but you risked your own just for me," his voice cracked as he spoke. "My mother knows that you flew me out of the fire. She asked me to give you this," he said, handing him the letter. "We are grateful. She sent letters for Potter and Granger too. Now that my father is in Azkaban we don't have to do as he says. I think her life is easier this way. And mine is too."

Ron looked dumbfounded. He saw Greengrass dap at her eyes and Luna smile, patting Goyle's arm

"Good for you, Gregory. This is a great start of a new life," said the dreamy-eyed girl.

Ron cleared his throat and managed to say

"Hum, yeah, thanks. Hum, anyone wants anything from the kitchens? I could use some more shortbread."

"Pudding!" said Luna, "I like having some before bed."

"Treacle tart," said Daphne, feeling giddy. She never had dessert when she was in Slytherin because the girls there were always watching each other eat. Now that she was a Hufflepuff she was gonna eat whatever she wanted.

"You know how to find the kitchens?" asked Greg, eyes wide, as if Ron had just revealed the secret to a long and happy life.

"This way," said Ron. He felt a strange satisfaction, leading this little pack of misfits.

Harry walked Pansy to the dungeons, the girl obviously making an effort to calm herself down and failing miserably. When they got to the entrance she asked

"How did you know where it is?"

He shrugged "long story, I'll tell you sometime."

"Ok. But we forgot to ask for the password," she pointed.

Harry thought for a second and then spoke Parseltongue, asking the entrance to open. It did. Pansy was impressed. They walked into the common room and looked around.

"Where do you think our dormitories are?" Asked Harry.

Pansy pointed to a secluded corner

"That alcove was not there before," she said, "nor was that tapestry."

They walked there and lifted the tapestry, where a hidden door opened for them. Inside was a small common room with a leather couch and two doors that were obviously bedrooms. Pansy felt exhausted and sat on the couch. Harry sat next to her, looking at the windows. It was strange to be under water. Harry jumped when something hit the glass. Pansy grabbed his hand, her eyes closed

"It's just the giant squid. He likes to scare the first years when they first come. He's a prankster," she said, yawning.

Harry looked at their hands and then at her. She was breathing deeply, apparently falling asleep. He sat there for a while. This was strangely peaceful. He put his legs up on an ottoman and when she started to slid down pulled her to lean on his lap and closed his eyes, running his fingers on her hair. He was asleep before his brain could make any sense of this weird situation.

The two Ravenclaws climbed the stairs to the tower that was now their home.

"What is it that you seek?" asked the eagle-shaped door knocker

"Our bedrooms," answered Draco

"Up and to the right," said the eagle, opening the entrance.

"I thought that would be harder, or more meaningful," said Hermione with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Draco shrugged "the answers to the riddles are logical. And there is only one thing we were looking for right this minute."

She felt a bit intimidated. She was used to be the one with the answers. Before she could overthink this they walked through a small door into a second common room, obviously set up for just the two of them. A blue couch, a desk with two chairs facing each other and bookshelves filled to the brim. The floor to ceiling window faced Hogsmeade in the distance, and the dim light of the street lamps glinted like fireflies.

"It's beautiful," Hermione said looking at the amazing view.

"Yes, beautiful," he responded, looking at the witch standing in front of him. So close and yet so far out of his league.

Unbeknownst to him, her breath was feeling ragged because she could feel his body's warmth against her back.

His image had hunted her since the day of his trial when she testified how he refused to identify Harry, how he let them slip through the cracks. He had looked at her with eyes full of tears, then when she was done he had mouthed I'm sorry, while obviously fighting the sobs that took over his chest. A few weeks later she got a letter. He expressed all of his regrets, the deep sense of debt he now had towards the three of them, the pain of losing one of his best friends to their own stupidity and the intense shame that he felt about every horrible thing that happened in his manor. He also wrote to Harry and even to Ron. But her letter had been the longest one, the one where he bared his soul.

And now they were here. Alone.

Ginny and Neville got to Gryffindor tower and the Fat lady said

"Your password is de novo. And your rooms are behind the tapestry of the boy and the girl kissing under a tree," and she batted her eyelashes at them.

Ginny blushed and rushed inside. They saw the new portrait and it opened at their presence, the boy and girl giggling at them. Inside was a small living room with a brown leather couch, a small fireplace and the doors to two bedrooms.

"Our own flat," quipped Neville, giving her a wink.

Ginny held her hands together to try and hide how they were shaking. Neville was now a hunk, tall, strong and confident. And she felt very much hot under the collar.

The new Hufflepuffs got into the common room easily, as Luna had read how to enter in Hogwarts, a History. They took a look around the cozy place and saw a sign over a door that read Seniors dorm. They had their own living room with a couple of couches, tons of pillows, quilts and some poufs. It was so similar to the Burrow that Ron's heart flipped. They said goodnight and the boys and girls walked to their respective rooms.

Daphne was getting ready for bed when out of the blue Luna said

"You and Ronald look great together. You know you are both tall and attractive. You would make a beautiful couple." Then she got inside her covers and added "I think Greg is really nice. He was probably misguided by his dad. Good night, Daphne."

The other girl stood there, frozen, only managing to say

"Good night."

While changing into bedclothes, Ron and Greg had somehow fallen into a discussion about brooms. Then they simply said goodnight and got behind the yellow curtains of their four-posters. Ron took a moment to read Mrs. Goyle's letter. It was heartfelt and full of gratitude. And the older lady straightforward confessed that she was relieved that her son was alive and now out of reach to the awful influence of his father. Ron put the letter aside and thought about the eventful evening. He was now a Hufflepuff, sharing a room with Gregory Goyle and hanging out with Luna and Daphne Greengrass. Daphne. That girl was gorgeous. And she liked sweets. He fell asleep, smiling.

Pansy opened her eyes slowly, trying to figure out where she was. She was lying on a comfortable couch, wedged between the back of the seat and…

She felt the warm breath of Harry Potter on her forehead. She freaked out for a minute and her first instinct was to perform a wandless spell to fix her face and hair a bit, then freshen up her mouth. Then she inhaled deeply and his scent filled her senses. How did she end up here? How was he so nice that he took care of her and was now holding her in his sleep as if they had always been close friends and not bitter rivals? And why did it feel so freaking good?

Harry opened his eyes and tried to place himself. He felt relaxed and strangely aroused. He spoke into the hair of the girl in his arms.

"Morning."

"Morning," she smiled and looked up at him.

He covered his mouth

"I may have morning breath, sorry."

She wiggled her fingers and he felt his mouth freshen up

"Wow!" That's a handy spell," then he looked down at her "thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, looking at his face. He was staring at her mouth, eyes lidded.

"I…I think I want to kiss you," he whispered, surprised at his own boldness.

"Then do it," she answered, lifting her chin to make it easier for him.

He pillowed his lips on hers and felt her hand reach to hold onto his nape. He deepened the kiss, pulling her tight onto him by the waist. She slowly moved her leg to wrap around his hip. They kissed for a while, and when he moved from her mouth to kiss down her neck she grasped to what was left of her restraint

"Harry, we have class. We need to go."

He growled, making her chuckle. He planted a last kiss on her lips, sat up and helped her sit.

"Twenty minutes and we go down for breakfast?"

"You mean we go up for breakfast?"

He laughed

"Yeah. That."

"Good morning!" singsonged Luna Lovegood. Harry made a double take. She was keeping a happy bouncy pace on the arm of Gregory Goyle. Behind her, a smiling Ron was walking Daphne Greengrass to breakfast. Luna let go of Greg, then grabbed Daphne's free hand, pulling her off Ron, and walked towards the Slytherin couple.

"I think you boys need to talk," she said smiling, then turned to Pansy and offered her other arm "join us, Pansy?"

The black haired girl looked at Harry and felt a bit sad to let go of his hand, but he smiled at her encouragingly. So she took the offered arm and the three girls walked in front. Luna chirped happily

"What a wonderful start of the year. This is what I asked the Hat for."

Pansy felt the knut drop. This is why the Hat put her back in Slytherin. It was not about her house loyalty. It was the place where she would find redemption. And to be with the one that would help her through it.

They walked into the Great Hall and found a couple of prefects waiting to guide them to a table at the front of the room, where the senior students would all sit together. The girls sat and started pouring themselves some juice and tea, then saw the three boys walking together, talking about what else: Quidditch. How they always ended up on that subject was a mystery.

They all sat next to the girl of their choice, and Luna was suddenly waving to the back of the room. They all turned to watch the two new Ravenclaws walk in. Draco had offered his arm to escort Hermione to breakfast and they had walked elegantly down the stairs, a very different experience than her usual rushed pace and it reminded her that they did indeed live in a castle and that her companion had been raised like a prince, despite his nasty childish behavior of the past. Now he seemed to be finally growing into the man he was supposed to be all along. She was daydreaming about it when they got to the Great Hall and felt suddenly self-conscious about her willingness to get close to Malfoy but then saw how all the others seem quite happy and mixed together, so she relaxed and gave them all a big smile. They took a seat and Goyle moved away from Luna's side for a moment to sit next to Hermione and speak to her quietly, then slid her a letter. She offered her hand for him to shake and he took it in both of his and kissed it, making her blush. Then he quickly moved back to Luna's side and squeezed her hand, a huge grin on his face.

McGonagall stood up to speak. She praised the behavior of the senior students, hoped the first-years were feeling welcome and then went to announce Quidditch trials. Then she dropped the bomb: seniors would not be allowed to try for the house teams, as they were all legal adults and that was unfair to the younger kids.

"You can't do that!" a voice shrieked from the entrance, where Neville was trying to calm down an enraged Ginny. He gave McGonagall an apologetic look and pulled her to the table.

"This is ridiculous! I'm gonna try for the Harpies in the summer, I have to play!" She lamented, voice still too loud.

Greg looked at her, eyes wide

"I always wanted to play for the Wasps. Should I try?"

"Duh! You are probably the best beater since Ludo Bagman, but now how are we going to train?"

Greg looked deflated, then after a few minutes Draco said

"We become trainers. For the young ones." He looked at Ginny "we form our own team, we help train the new recruits and we play friendly matches against the house teams, without competing for the cup."

Ginny did a quick count

"We have a beater, two seekers, one goalkeeper, and one chaser. We need more people."

"I want to play chaser, said Draco. We need one more chaser and a beater."

Neville spoke

"I finally taught myself to fly this summer. And I even started some diving and speeding drills. Maybe you guys would let me play beater?"

"Heck yeah!" said Ginny grabbing his arm to shake him, only to find that it was quite muscular. She blushed but no one noticed because they were all celebrating Neville's new adventure.

Then, in a move that surprised everyone, Draco looked at Daphne

"Daph? Chaser? For old time's sake?"

The blonde girl blushed. "I haven't played since we were kids. My mom forbid me, remember? She said is not ladylike."

"You are of age now, Daph," Draco reminded her. "Come on, it will be fun. I bet you still can speed an obstacle course like no one."

They all looked at her, expectant. She thought for a second. Maybe if she had a training routine she wouldn't feel too bad about eating sweets.

"Alright. I'll do it."

They all applauded enthusiastically and Ron pecked a kiss on her cheek, making her blush.

She smiled, flustered, and they all started to talk brooms. Meanwhile, Luna looked happily at Hermione and Pansy

"Cheerleaders?"

Hermione gave a fake enthusiasm fist pump

"Eight years in a row!"

That made Pansy crack laughing.

Despite the conversation being all about his favorite sport, Ron was distracted. Daphne was beautiful, liked sweets and now turned out she was a secret quidditch player? The girl was perfection. He made a mental note to write to his mother and ask how to court a princess. After all, Molly was a Prewett and she had longed to have more daughters and teach them about the language of flowers and other courting rituals, but Ginny had turned out too similar to her brothers to want to learn about girly things. She would be delighted to share this knowledge with her son.

That night Harry and Pansy went back to their dorm. They all had stay late in the library since the professors were being quite demanding from day one, hoping that by the middle of the year the students could start apprenticeships and make up for the time they lost during the war. So it made no sense to sit on the common room for a while at this hour, but Harry was disappointed about not having time alone with Pansy. The memory of that morning was not gonna let him sleep, that was for sure. They stood in the small hallway where their bedroom doors faced each other.

"I have never slept alone here," said Pansy, looking around her. I don't know if I will be able to fall asleep."

"Me neither. I'm sure I'll spend the night tossing and turning."

"So that's our only option?" She asked, with a mischievous look on her face

"Doesn't have to be," answered Harry, stepping forward and pulling her in for a kiss. He knew this was what he wanted. He survived a war almost on pure instinct. This was not that different.

Pansy let herself go all in. There was something very erotic to the idea of giving herself to the mercy of Harry Potter to atone for her misgivings. She had never allowed herself to be vulnerable, yet had always ended up miserable. Fuck it. She would take this risk. If he ripped her heart from her chest so be it. But something told her he was not that guy. Not to mention that he was gorgeous. She pulled him into the bedroom and they managed to flop on the bed.

During the next month, the senior students split their time between a heavy class schedule and quidditch practice. Ginny, Greg, and Ron had the least number of classes but since they had declared their intentions to play professionally, they were apprentices of Madam Hooch, and she made them train like the world cup was coming. The other members of the team had more classes and a less rigorous training schedule, but they all played together at least twice a week.

One evening after a whole team quidditch practice, Ginny went into the locker room and accidentally walked into the boy's showers, where she stopped in her tracks. Neville was standing with his back to her, hands leaning on the wall, letting the hot water run over his muscular body. Ginny was rooted to the spot. After a minute or so he stood straight and she ran away, making a bit too much noise. He turned around and could swear he saw a hint of long red hair fleeing the scene. He grabbed a towel and while drying himself he decided enough was enough. He liked Ginny, he had since fourth year. And he was sure she liked him, conscious that after the war he was good old chubby Neville no more. But his big change had Ginny spinning, feeling awkward around him. Maybe he'll give her a clear declaration of his intentions. He was now the epitome of a Gryffindor, and he would go after what he wanted.

The next day in the evening Ginny walked into her room and saw a red rose on her pillow. There was a piece of parchment with it.

You know where to find me.

N.

She felt a jolt, her brain shut off and her body took over. She left her room and stormed into Neville's unannounced, then once again stopped in her tracks. He was lying on his bed, reading a book, wearing only pajama pants. The view of his body paralyzed her for the second time in two days and she stood there, frozen.

He held her gaze, put the book aside, then his face opened in a smile that was both sweet and mischievous, and he curled a finger, beckoning her to him. Next thing she knew, she was pinning Neville Longbottom down on the bed.

Gregory Goyle had not felt so happy since he was a little boy. There was no more war, no more degrading words from his father, he was not known as one of the school thugs anymore. He was exactly who he wanted to be: his mother's son, a young man that was not a great student but who know had a plan to become a professional athlete, who had friends instead of allies and better than anything else, he was in love. He was head over heels in love with the sweetest, most kind-hearted witch in the world: Luna Lovegood. She had been nice to him since the first day back and after they both got sorted into Hufflepuff they were spending a lot of time together. She not only seemed to be ok with that, she actually enjoyed his company. But the thing was, making Luna happy was extremely easy: she liked flowers, nature, strange creatures, pudding, and best of all, she enjoyed piggyback rides. Gregory could spend the whole day walking around the school grounds, watching the magical creatures that came to the edge of the forest while having Luna's arms wrapped around his shoulders and her legs around his waist, speaking in his ear, telling him of strange beasts he had never heard of. And he was besotted. The only difficult time he had was when he realized he was in love with her but had no idea what to do to kiss her. But then one evening he was seated in the common room, looking at the fire and trying to figure out how to kiss a girl when Luna came out of her room and saw him. She walked toward him, moved his hands from his knees, sat on his lap and kissed him full on the mouth. Greg made a huge effort to remain conscious. After a few minutes of wonderful snogging, she simply said

"It was about time we kissed, don't you think, Greg?"

Salazar's balding head, this was it. He would marry this witch, whatever it takes.

Daphne walked out of her room but recoiled back when she saw Luna sitting on Greg's lap, kissing. She walked backward and felt a surge of nervousness. She was pretty sure that Ronald liked her, but he had not tried to kiss her. His gestures were courteous and flirtatious but she expected the former Gryffindor to be...bolder. After all, Harry pretty much had jumped Pansy from day one and her friend was thrilled and talked non stop about how sexy and daring her boyfriend was. She decided to grab the bull by the horns. If Luna and Greg were making out in the common room then Ron was alone in the boy's room. She looked around for anything that she could use as an excuse to knock on his door. She saw a broom care kit that she had ordered via owl mail and grabbed it. She would pretend not to know what was in it or something. She took a deep breath and called

"Ron? Can I ask you something?"

She heard a commotion like things being hastily moved around but he said

"Yeah, come in."

She opened the door and entered, closing it softly. He looked flustered and she could see he had covered some books with his quilt.

"I was wondering if you could explain to me how to use…"

At that moment he tried to shift his position in the bed too fast and a pile of books fell from the edge of the bed with a clattering noise, spilling on the floor. She looked at the messy pile and saw the titles: The Language of Flowers, How to write Love Letters, Love and Symbolism.

She looked at him, her heart hammering. He was red as a tomato but squared his shoulders and said

"I asked my mother about courting rituals because I never paid attention when I was little. Even when I wanted to learn I didn't want my brothers to make fun of me. So I don't know how to approach a girl like you. I'm trying to learn. But she sent me all these books and I am not good with books so, well, I feel a bit lost, " he said lowering his gaze, color rising in his face.

She blinked twice, then walked carefully around the books, and showed him the broom care kit.

"This was my excuse to come to see you." She left it on the night table. "But I think I have a better idea now," she said while slowly moving closer to straddle him. He immediately pulled her to him and said in between kisses

"Best...idea...ever."

Meanwhile, at Ravenclaw tower, the months went by and things were moving slowly. Too slow for Draco's patience. Granted, at least it was to his advantage that Hermione was thrilled about finally having a study partner that not only kept up with her but made things challenging. The other seniors didn't even try to keep pace with them, the intensity of the study sessions way too much for everyone else, yet Draco knew they made fun of their very slow burn behind their backs, saying that the Malfoy heir was trying to seduce the Golden Girl by whispering arithmancy formulas in her ear. That joke actually gave him an idea.

The one thing irresistible for Hermione Granger was an intellectual challenge. So he decided to embark in the translation of a compilation of runic writings, "just for fun," he said to her, one Friday evening in their common room. She, of course, asked to give it a try.

They sat comfortably on their couch, which Hermione had transfigured into what she called a 'recliner' (a wonderful muggle mechanism that turned the couch into a sort of day bed), the leather-bound writings held between them, and she started to read the runic symbols following the lines on the text with her index finger

"What.. best..fortune can one find," she said hesitantly

"What happier fortune," he corrected

"What happier fortune can one find

Than a girl who mind?" she hesitated again and signal for him to help her read.

He obliged

"What happier fortune can one find

Than with the girl who pleases one's mind

Leave one's home and friends behind

And sail on the first good wind?"

She looked at him, heart hammering in her chest

"What is it?"

"Is an old Gaelic poem called Exile. It's about a boy that dreams of grabbing the girl he likes and running away with her. To live in their own world, by their own truth."

She felt her breath caught and he leaned in slowly, letting her feel his warm breath mix with hers before closing the distance and taking her lips in his. They kissed tenderly for a while, and when the book slipped off to the floor she slowly turned to slip her legs on its place over Draco's lap. He pulled her up so she would completely sit there and their kisses became deeper. After a few more minutes he said

"This recliner sofa may be my new favorite piece of furniture. So functional," he quipped while peppering kisses down her neck.

"I think it can be improved. Let me show you another muggle wonder. Is called a pull-out sofa," she said, waving her wand.

The next morning, a Hogsmeade day, all the seniors got together in the main hall, except for two of them. Harry conjured his Patronus and sent a message

"Are you guys coming? We're leaving now."

A minute later a wispy otter floated in front of them

"You guys go ahead, we're not in the mood."

"More like we're in the nude," said Pansy, rolling her eyes, "about time those two got it on. I was planning on slipping them some veritaserum on their butterbeers today. One less felony on my book I guess".

"Good. I don't want you getting into any trouble that would keep you from my side," said her boyfriend kissing her sweetly before heading off for brunch.

"Oh yes, yes," said the sorting hat to itself "love is in the air, life moves on and I get to rest until a new year starts."