Exam week. Well. What can be said about it? Nothing much, except Tanya had a nervous breakdown after her Transfiguration exam; Rachel's cheering charm went awry and Seamus was high for two whole days; Professor Lupin resigned amid rumors that he was a werewolf; Dean's Potions exam literally blew up in his face; Hannah nearly got hypothermia out on the Astronomy tower; Katelyn got in the way of a practicing seventh year and walked around for several hours with a thumb the size of a pencil case; and Rachel accidentally knocked all of her notes into the Gryffindor common room fire.

Well, despite all these mishaps, everybody scraped by with 'A's and 'O's, except Dean, who got a 'P' on his Potions exam.

And then, school was over.

On the very last day of term, however, immediately following their exam result papers, the seventh years' graduation ceremony began. Since Haley and Oliver were seventh years, the entire Funny Farm was invited.

Professor Dumbledore held up his hands for silence. "Welcome," he said, "to the commencement ceremony of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's 354th graduating class."

The Great Hall broke out in applause as the one hundred and one graduating students rose from their seats in acknowledgement.

"Yes, well done, graduates, well done, graduates," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together as well. "Now, I know how anxious you all are to get this over with so you can celebrate your newly-gained freedom, so I'll make this as brief as possible. If Professor Minerva McGonagall would join me, please…thank you, Professor…we shall now begin the awarding of the certificates of graduation."

"Diplomas," Rachel said under her breath.

"Now, graduates," Dumbledore continued, "when your name is called, kindly ascend the dais here on the left to receive your certificate of graduation—"

"Diploma!" Rachel hissed.

"—shake mine and Professor McGonagall's hands, descend the dais on the right, and resume your seats.

"Shall we begin, then, Professor McGonagall?"

McGonagall waved her wand, and a table laden with scarlet, blue, green, and yellow folders drifted onto the dais. She unrolled a scroll of parchment, cleared her throat, and called out, "Melissa Abernathy, Hufflepuff House."

The Funny Farm made it all the way through to "Darley," "Dowling," and "Drayton" before finally losing any trace of interest they might have possibly possessed. Hannah began gauging the time between now and Haley's turn; Rachel switched off her senses and began formulating the next chapter of her book entirely in her head; Tanya was trying to remember if she had packed her Gryffindor socks; Katelyn was reminding herself to finish the "Holy Grail" movie on the way back to King's Cross; Dean was wondering why he was even there in the first place, since he hardly knew Haley or Oliver; and Seamus was hoping his Kenmare Kestrels poster hadn't ripped in his trunk.

Before they knew it, "Chad Sahel, Ravenclaw House" was walking off the platform, and McGonagall called,

"Haley Schreiter, Gryffindor House."

The Funny Farm raised such a commotion in the back of the hall with their uproarious cheering and whistling that several people turned around to stare.

"Our dear Snoodles is graduating," Tanya sniffed. She suddenly turned to Hannah and promptly squeezed the stuffing out of her.

Poor Hannah had no time to reply, for McGonagall was already into the 'W's.

"Percival Weasley, Gryffindor House, Hogwarts Head Boy."

"Hurrah!" Seamus said cheerfully, clapping loudly. "He's finally graduated!"

"Oliver Wood, Gryffindor House, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."

Rachel stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled shrilly (a trick Seamus had taught her) and Katelyn led the others in an energetic round of "Fight, fight, Gryffindor, fight, fight, Gryffindor!"

But Haley outshone them all. She proudly stood up and practically crowed, "That's my Ollie-bear!"

Hannah, personally, would've been mortified by such an outburst, but Oliver gave her sister such a special smile that time and place didn't seem to apply to them at all! Then he took his seat, and the ceremony continued.

"Please welcome our 354th graduating class valedictorian, Juliet Dickerson," Dumbledore said as Juliet came up onto the dais with an ominously thick stack of index cards and began her speech.

Meanwhile, in the front row, Oliver was fidgeting almost uncontrollably in his seat next to Haley. His right leg bounced up and down nervously while his left hand anxiously tapped on the opposite knee. His right hand, however, was stuffed into his pocket and clenched in a tight fist. But his jumpy behavior was immediately stilled when he felt Haley's hand on his shoulder.

"Oliver, please sit still," she whispered in his ear. "This is the last time we're ever going to be here together as students again. Let's try to make the most of it, okay?"

"Don't worry, Haley, I will," he replied with a shaky smile.

Just then, Juliet finally finished her lengthy speech, and the Great Hall suddenly looked lively again as Dumbledore resumed his place on the dais, stealthily slipping his pocket watch back into his robes. "Thank you, Juliet, for that…remarkable speech.

"Now," he continued, "without any further ado, I present to you all the 354th graduating class of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wiz—"

"Just a moment, Professor Dumbledore," Oliver shouted, jumping to his feet. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Haley," he added in a whisper. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Professor," he went on in a normal voice, "but there's something I have to say before this is all over. If I have your permission to continue…"

"Yes, my boy, of course," Dumbledore told him. "I only wish you had said something sooner so we could have worked you into the program. But please, continue."

In the back of the Great Hall, Hannah heaved a great sigh of relief. "For a moment there," she whispered to Rachel, "I was afraid that Dumbledore would try to take away Oliver's diploma and hold him back another year for that outburst."

"Good thing he didn't," Rachel whispered back. "Snoodles' heart would have been broken! Plus, I would've been stuck with him as Quidditch Captain and Big Pain for another year." She shuddered.

"Quiet, you guys," Katelyn hissed. "Oliver's getting ready to talk."

"Hey, everyone," he began haltingly. "My name's Ol—Oliver Wood, and I am—was—the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."

"And a bloody fine one, too!" Rachel shouted, much to the amusement of everyone present.

"Thanks, Hekman," Oliver said with a proud grin. "She's one of my Beaters, see, only part of this year's excellent team—we won the Cup this year, after a really first-rate match—"

Dumbledore coughed pointedly.

"Right," Oliver said sheepishly, clearing his throat. "Anyway, that position as Captain has taught me leadership, and the team—best bloody team this side of the equator, just to let you know—has taught me the value of teamwork and friendship. I've made some great friends here, never minding the fact that a lot of them are younger than me. My Seeker and one of my Beaters are actually third years. But anyway, they've all made me realize the importance of being a good friend, but a good leader, as well.

"And then there's Haley," Oliver continued, gesturing for her to join him on the dais. When she had, he threw an arm around her waist and flashed a bright grin. "Haley's been my steady girlfriend for about three years now—"

"Three years, two months, and a day," Haley said quickly.

"Y—yes, dear. Three years, two months, and a day. She's taught me the value—no, actually, the necessity—of true love. She's even shown me that there really is more to life than Quidditch. Yeah, I know—shocker, isn't it? Anyway, she's put up with me when I desperately needed help studying—more than once, I tell you."

Haley's cheeks turned bright red.

"Haley," Oliver said, looking fondly at her, "I have my whole life in front of me. I've got a job with a professional Quidditch team, and amazing friends who have promised to stay in touch, which I'm sure they will."

Rachel gulped.

"But something is still missing," Oliver continued, growing serious again. "Haley, I have a question for you."

"Okay," she breathed.

Oliver slipped his hand into his pocket and lowered himself to one knee.

"Oliver, what are you doing?" she squeaked.

"Haley Schreiter," Oliver said clearly, "I love you more than life itself, and even for this Quidditch-obsessed fool, my life will never be complete without you. Will you marry me?"

He then withdrew a small box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a sparkling diamond ring.

Haley could only gape soundlessly at him for a moment, then burst out, "Yes! Yes, Oliver, I will marry you!"

The Great Hall suddenly erupted in thunderous applause as Oliver, grinning broadly, scooped Haley up in his arms and gave her a passionate, heartfelt kiss. Deciding that now was the opportune moment, the entire Funny Farm ran up and hugged the couple fiercely, overflowing with blessings and congratulations.

"Who could ask for a better ending?" McGonagall said, her eyes gone misty as she watched Oliver slip the ring onto his new fiancée's finger.

"No, Professor," Haley countered, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "This is the perfect beginning!"

The End

(A/N: So? What did you think? Good? Bad? Well, I liked it. So stay tuned for The Funny Farm and the Goblet of Fire, coming soon!)