Back to School

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Summary: Hermione is back at Hogwarts to complete her education as an Eighth Year. But wait… is that Harry Potter?… as the new DADA Professor?! What's Harry to do when all he can dream/think about is giving Hermione detention and seeing her in her school uniform... or more specifically without her school uniform?

Author's Note: I know, I know. I suck. I'm super sorry for the delay. I haven't abandoned the story- I just find it super hard to finish the story up. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. It's the final chapter of my story. I was going to write an epilogue but I don't know when that'll happen (because I honestly don't know what I should write as an epilogue... like originally it was going to be the morning of the wedding but I ended up not really liking the idea and so I can't think of anything else- but if anything it would definitely contain lots of lemons since we have been so harshly deprived of them for the past couple of chapters), so I won't be making any promises there. I think if there are a lot of requests for it or something I'll try one out, but my epilogue may come out as crappy as the DH epilogue- which would then mean there was no reason for it (as we all ignore it anyways)!

I apologize (as always) for any mistakes you find in the writing. I kind of rushed it at the end so that I can get the chapter published.

And now... on with the show!

. . . . . . . .HxH.

Once the light dissipated, Harry blinked a couple of times in an attempt to rid his vision of the black spots that had appeared due to the bright light. Harry's eyes first traveled to the person in front of him. He just had to make sure- before he could even think about processing anything else, he had to make sure she was okay. Hermione stood standing in front of him, and all Harry could do was be grateful that the spell had not been for her. Harry then looked over to the still body of Nathaniel Kinlan, crumpled on the floor- almost as if he had simply tripped and had yet to get up. Though Harry had never liked the git, he couldn't help but feel faintly melancholy for the life that was lost.

Finally, Harry looked to the passageway that led to the castle to see who had casted the Unforgivable. The first thing he noticed was the mop of red hair that was messily arranged on the person's head. His eyes traveled down to the blue eyes, the crooked nose, and the satisfied smirk marring the face of the all too familiar wizard. Harry blinked a couple of times trying to see if the image presented before him would change. However, the same wizard stood before them- a dark intent radiating from his being.

Hermione had Nathaniel's wand pointed at the intruder- clearly ready for whatever he may dish out at them. Cautiously, Hermione inched away from Harry and slowly made her way to the fallen body. She still had the wand pointed at the intruder- though the intruder had not moved or changed his expression, Hermione made sure to keep her attention on the potential threat the wizard posed. Hermione bent down and confirmed that Nathaniel was indeed dead by placing her fingers on his pulse point. She straightened herself out and came into a defensive stance. She remained standing away from Harry- which, Harry could only assume, had to do with her trying to draw the attention away from his defenselessness, and unto herself.

Not for the first time that night, Harry felt utterly useless- still tied up and without a voice, there was nothing he could do to help the situation. And then suddenly, Harry noticed that his binds were no longer fortified by whatever charm Nathaniel had put on the ropes. He finally became aware that the charm had probably ended on it's own, once its caster had died. Harry looked over at Hermione and was able to deduce that she probably already knew (given that she was trying to draw as much attention to herself without being too obvious)- and had been counting on Harry to figure it out and try to unbind himself.

Harry's attention was drawn to the intruder once more, only to find the intruder's wand pointed directly at him. Harry looked back at Hermione- to find she looked like she was about to move towards where he sat bound together, when a menacing voice rung out into the small room.

"Don't. Move."

Hermione's foot froze at the command. Harry saw her give him a quick side glance before she tried to inch towards him again.

"You don't want to test me." The voice spoke again- warning Hermione that she had better not try to move towards Harry anymore.

Harry looked over to their captor. His eyes became locked with the clear blue eyes of its owner- both parties trying their hardest to read the other's mind. Harry regretted never fully mastering Legilimency- though he doubted he would have gotten to the point in which he needed to be able to perform it wandlessly and nonverbally. Harry looked onto the familiar face- a feeling of anger reviving at the sight of him.

Nigel Wolpert.

Harry realized that since he had punched Nigel in the face, that one winter's night- months ago, he had not given the younger Gryffindor a second thought. Harry knew his thoughts had been preoccupied with the Dueling Club attack as well as Hermione's sudden turn in feelings. But he also knew, deep inside, that Nigel had not even registered as being significant in the greater scheme of his life. If he was being brutally honest, Harry had not even known the kid was still at Hogwarts. Harry had actually thought that Nigel had left the school, or had been expelled from Hogwarts due to his slanderous comments about Hermione. Though Harry knew that such a deed would not register as grounds for expulsion, he seemed to have just assumed it to be true, given that he had not seen or heard anything related to Nigel since then.

"Why...?" Hermione asked. Even in the one syllable word- the short question, uttered so silently, Harry heard the slight tremble that signified the sadness that she was feeling. Harry knew, that despite everything Nathaniel had done, despite his shortcomings, he had still been her friend- someone she had, at one point, considered to be dear to her- or at the very least, another life carelessly lost- a loss that they had been forced to watch. Not to mention the betrayal she must be feeling at seeing Nigel wielding the wand that had cast an unforgivable.

Though it can be said that Nigel had betrayed the both of them months ago, it had not been to such a degree in which he would have been deemed 'unredeemable'. Now, with his murderous act, Nigel had become a fully unrecognizable being- no longer could he go back to being just another student, just another Gryffindor- his name would become synonymous, in their minds, as the person who had casted the killing curse on Nathaniel Kinlan.

"It's your fault he had to die." Nigel said as he nudged his head over to where Nathaniel lay- his focus was directed to Hermione- speaking to her. "But, it was all for the best." He continued with a nonchalant air. "You see, his parents were actually Death Eaters- strategically placed on the continent to continue You-Know-Who's work. You wouldn't believe the kinds of things they have been up to- all hushed up with money and power."

Harry was surprised by how apathetic Nigel was to the fact that he had just committed murder. It seemed surreal to Harry that anyone could feel no remorse for such a heinous act. It wasn't as if Harry was naive to the fact that many Death Eaters had in fact died at the hands of members of the Order. However, that had been during a time of war- when everyone's wand was at the ready and the alternative would have been their own death. This... this had been the act of someone who thought their ends justified the means. Harry couldn't fathom what kinds of 'things' Nathaniel Kinlan had been up to, however, even Voldemort had died whilst dueling with Harry- not while his back was turned and his focus on something else entirely.

Nigel turned his body to fully face Hermione, his wand pointed at her now. "You said you apprehended Ambrose Gates as well? He was Nathaniel's underling to do all of Nathaniel's dirty work." Nigel scoffed. "And you guys didn't even know. Though, I suppose, in all honesty, Nathaniel wasn't really a Death Eater, he was just an arse who thought he was better than Death Eaters. So, I had to kill him. He was going to use you to hurt Harry, and I couldn't let that happen."

"That doesn't mean you had to..."

"Shut up! You don't get to talk anymore! You whore! It's your fault Harry had even been targeted by Kinlan and Gates! Because they wanted you- they wanted you to 'fall in love' with Kinlan so that they could lure you off onto the continent. They told me how it was all just a ruse- a way of getting access to your clever mind. They had a future planned out based on delusions of grandeur- with you at the very center of it all. But they needed to get Harry out of the picture. At first, they only wanted distance between the two of you. But I suppose Nathaniel actually began to believe he was in love with you or something and his pride was most likely hurt at the idea that you didn't just fall for him; and then just having you beside him wasn't enough. And because you began to show interest in Harry, that was when Kinlan began to target Harry." Nigel shouted at her pointing at her with his free hand. "It's your fault! You fucking..."

Harry's body jerked at Nigel's ramblings- wanting nothing more than to be free of his binds. It was pure instinct for Harry to want to defend Hermione- pure instinct for him to react at the thought that anyone had wanted to harm Hermione.

Nigel's attention was drawn back to Harry at Harry's sudden movements. "You would still defend her?!" Nigel asked in confused distress. "After everything she's done to you this past month alone? Are you so deluded in your feelings for her that you would still think you love her?!" Nigel continued to shout. "Why?! She doesn't deserve you! None of them ever did! Why do you think I nudged Anthony Ginny's way last year- though, to be honest, who were you trying to fool?" Nigel fumed. "Why do you think I had feigned interest in her? The whore who dared to string you along as well as Krum, McLaggen, and finally, Weasley." Nigel said in complete disgust as he pointed his wand at Hermione to indicate he was speaking about her. "It was all for you Harry!" Nigel said almost pleadingly. Small sparks flew from Nigel's wand- a clear indicator that its holder's emotional instability was becoming too much for the magic to be contained.

Nigel looked straight at Harry as he continued speaking. "I knew! I knew what they were planning. I knew and did nothing because I just wanted to get rid of her. It was supposed to be easy enough without you here, but they hadn't counted on McGonagall asking you to come back to Hogwarts as a professor. But they knew this year at Hogwarts would be the only opportunity they would have to spend a significant amount of time with Hermione without raising too much suspicion. I had managed to get Gates to trust me enough to let me in on the plan. But I couldn't let your feelings for her get you involved in whatever they were planning so I had to make sure... to try and distance you from her so that your feelings for her would not compromise you. I had thought that if I could make you see... that once you had heard the truth of her coquettish behaviors- of her stringing along any male she sets her eyes on... her ever growing disloyalty to you- that your feelings would gradually die down. I had thought that you would finally find her as repulsive as I always have. But, I had underestimated your devotion for her when you found us in the toilets- I had thought that if you heard what I was saying, you would realize that she is a fucking slut and that she doesn't really care for you- but no... you only cared about her fucking honor!

"She... she played with your emotions fourth year, dated your best friend years later- doting on every and all male attention she could get. And yet... you still defend her?! Even though her attentions have always been directed elsewhere?! But me... me... I've always remained faithful to you!" Nigel said desperately. "Even now, she claims it was for you, but it doesn't quite explain her deception- her betrayal." Nigel added with a growl. "I've never lied to you- I only wanted you to see the truth behind her facade, but she... she flat out lied about everything in order to apprehend Kinlan- or so she claims!"

And there... Harry felt it. It had been only a flicker, but what Nigel had said had ignited the smallest spark of doubt- fed to a greater size by the already existing feelings of anger, annoyance, and betrayal at being kept in the dark for the past month. Harry saw the small fluttering of hope come upon Nigel's face. Harry could only assume that Nigel had correctly read his expression to see that the first seed of doubt had indeed been planted into Harry's mind.

"Don't you see? She's only using you," a small trace of excitement laced Nigel's words, "for the fame, the power, the immunities she would receive for being your friend- for being associated with the Boy Who Lived." Nigel added in a calmer voice. His voice was so pleading and desperate that, if it had been any other situation, Harry would have felt a compulsion to continue listening to Nigel- to believe his words.

Harry broke the eye contact he had with Nigel- not trusting himself in the high-stress situation he had been placed in. His eyes traveled away from Nigel and looked to Hermione- saw the dejected way in which she stood just a little ways away from him. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her so... hopeless- as if she was expecting Harry to reject her.

Harry shook his head slightly (which proved to be a bad idea and further aggravated the ache in his head) to try to rid his thoughts of the small inkling of doubt that had somehow lodged its way into his mind. No, he trusted Hermione- trusted her like he trusted no other person in the world. He felt it in his heart- his gut telling him that he did not doubt her love and loyalty to him. But, his mind... the so called rational, logical part of his brain, continued to doubt her- question her actions.

Harry's eyes flittered around the room trying to land on anything but Hermione and Nigel. He needed time to think. And yet, everything about the room reminded him of Hermione. There- over there by the mangy couch he had met Sirius for the first time. Hermione had been there with him despite their (then) belief that they were facing a notorious Death Eater- one strong enough and clever enough to escape from Azkaban. She had remained with him throughout that night, helping him to save his god-father from the Dementors- risking her own life against the known and unknown dangers of the Forbidden Forest- to help try and reveal Sirius' innocence. And then a year later (despite her reservations) had followed him, quite blindly, to the Ministry of Magic to try and save his god-father once more (though Hermione had proved to be right in that Sirius had not been in any danger).

Over there, by the boarded up window they had found the dying Severus Snape, whose memories had proved to them all that he was an innocent man. Even then, Hermione had been with him- had stayed with him through the roughest of times, through her own torture at the Malfoy Mansion, through the bare existence they had endured for months in the Forest of Dean. Even though his best mate Ron had failed to do so- even though there had been times in which he, himself, had wanted to quit. Hermione alone had supported him throughout the ordeal, had helped guide him through until the end.

And here, this very spot, Harry realized, was where he had all but proposed to Hermione of his ever growing love for her, promised a future together- the moment when his love had become requited. Harry replayed the memory fondly- finding solace in the kiss they had shared, away from the grim and dark situation he had been thrown into once again.

Harry knew that Hermione was not perfect. He knew he had a tendency to place her on a high pedestal, which enabled him to exalt her of her every accomplishment. But, he also knew of all of her faults- the stuff that annoyed him to no end (an inevitability after knowing her for so long). He knew that she was damn stubborn once she set her mind on something, regardless of whether her opinion was accepted or not (S.P.E.W. for one). She was highly clever, especially when it came to classwork and books, but her social aptitude was lacking (given her bossy nature, her inability to quit nagging at people in general, and her inability to speak to Ron without shouting at him at least two times during a conversation). Her volatile temper at times (Ron. Canaries. Enough said), as well as her tendencies to be narrow-minded and slightly condescending (her inability to accept Divination despite evidence that proved her wrong as showcased by The Prophecy).

It was in light of all of her shortcomings that he loved her, no, love her. Love her because she stands up for what she believes in, even if no one agrees with her. Love her because her temper could match his own- and had the ability to put him in his place. Love her because he knew that despite her inability to be like 'most girls', he didn't want her to be like them at all, because she was so perfectly imperfect and so very Hermione that he would never ask her to change in any shape or form.

Harry closed his eyes and immediately, his thoughts were bombarded with images and memories of Hermione. Every anxious lip biting, every frazzle-haired scolding, every cheer, every hug, every smile, every kiss. He felt a small tug at the corners of his lips as a smile graced his face the more he thought about Hermione. He felt the doubt that had consumed him gradually dissipate from his mind until he felt whole again- totally clear of all doubts. Harry was definitely still angry at being kept in the dark by Hermione, and yet he understood on some level that she was simply trying to protect him while keeping him uninvolved (something he probably would have done if he had been in her position), but that did not mean he was going to forgive her so easily.

For now, Harry thought to himself, he had to figure out a way to get out of this situation while making sure Hermione was not harmed by Nigel. He had to stall as much time as possible. He knew that his and Hermione's absence would have been noted already- it was just a matter of everyone finding them in time.

"You're wrong Nigel." Harry said with definite conviction, looking straight into Nigel's eyes to make sure he got his point across. "You don't know her, and you sure as hell don't know me if you think that the mere words stemming from the figment of some child's imagination is going to erase every real life experience I have had with Hermione. You have only seen and heard what you have wanted to see and hear, but that's not my Hermione." He knew he was taking a risk by provoking Nigel, but Harry knew that his main goal was to keep Nigel's focus on him and not on Hermione.

"Are you so far gone in your delusions of 'being in love' with her that you would ignore every lie she has told you, every smile she offered to Nathaniel Kinlan in your stead? You would allow her to make a mockery of you? Of your so called love for her?" Nigel shouted out the questions to Harry- his rage and frustrations taking over his body.

Harry slowly shook his head from side to side and softly scoffed at Nigel's words. "No. I know my heart, and I know Hermione. I also know that no matter what you say to me, I trust Hermione and I will trust her with my life until the day I die. I won't let you hurt her."

Nigel let out a growl of frustration as more uncontrolled sparks flew from his wand. "I won't let you ruin your life because of her. She is like a parasite and the longer you are with her the more damage you will sustain due to her. I will get rid of her from this world and pray that you will be safe from her clutches!"

Nigel pointed his wand at Hermione once more. "I won't let you hurt him anymore. You don't deserve his protection, his loyalty, his love! It's not fair that some slag like you gets to be his friend, that you get his trust even though you're nothing but a lying whore! I am first going to give you the same amount of pain you have given Harry and then I will get rid of you from the face of this earth! Crucio!"

In that one instant, as the red light flew out from Nigel's wand, time slowed down. It was as if someone had paused the scene making it possible for Harry to react. With all of his strength, Harry burst from his seat and threw his body in Hermione's direction. He noted that Hermione had also reacted with a spell that emitted an orange light- most likely the Stunning Spell. Harry's body collided with Hermione's body as they both fell towards the floor, the spell just barely missing Harry's shoulder. Harry and Hermione both thudded to the wooden floor- Hermione losing a hold of the wand in the process.

Time sped up to normal once more. Harry looked over to where Nigel had been standing to see that he had also fallen to the floor, however he still had a hold of his wand. Harry could see the red hot fury burning in Nigel's eyes as he began to stand up. Harry shifted his body as much as possible (given that his hands were still bound together in front of him and his feet were bound together with a second rope) so that his body covered most of Hermione. He realized Hermione must have bumped her head and passed out because she had not moved since they had fallen to the floor.

Nigel began to close the distance between them, taking heavy steps one by one. Harry immediately ascertained that his only hope was to stall Nigel as best he could until Hermione woke up and would be able to defend the both of them with the wand. He was quite certain that Nigel would not kill him, but he did not want to risk Nigel harming Hermione at all.

Once Nigel was only a couple of steps away, Harry opened his mouth to say something- anything when, for the second time that night, a familiar voice rang out in the room.

"Stupefy!"

Harry looked to the entrance of the Shrieking Shack that connected to Hogwarts to see Ginny standing at the entrance with Luna not too far behind her.

"Bloody hell! I thought we were going to be too late!" Ginny exclaimed in a winded voice, as she made her way to Harry. She hurriedly cut the ropes binding Harry's hands and feet with a simple spell, instantly falling off- no longer fortified by a spell.

Harry immediately turned towards Hermione to see how she was. He examined her wounds and made sure that none were serious. Harry gently cradled Hermione's head in his lap. He didn't feel any noticeable bumps or bleeding and felt pretty reassured that she would regain consciousness soon.

"Hermione, wake up Hermione." Harry gently called to her. Harry blew out a breath of relief that he had not even noticed he had been holding when he saw Hermione's eyes begin to flutter. Slowly her eyes opened and Harry was looking into Hermione's chocolate brown eyes. The uneasy feeling, the fear that had had a grip on his heart melted away- the feeling not unlike when he ate the chocolate that Remus had offered him back when he was a third year after his first experience with Dementors.

"Hi." Harry croaked out- his voice so filled with emotions.

"Hi." Hermione managed to whisper out.

"I love you." Harry blurted out in a rushed whisper. "Merlin Hermione, I thought... I thought I might lose you..." Harry pulled Hermione into his arms, afraid to let go of her.

"I'm... I'm so sorry Harry. If I had just..."

"It's okay Hermione. We'll talk about it later. I just... I just want to make sure you're okay right now."

. . . . . . . .HxH.

Harry slowly came awake, refreshed despite the uncomfortable position he had spent the night at Hermione's bedside. Harry felt sore all over from all of the bumping and falling he had endured last night as well as a crick in his neck from having slept in a chair, bent over so that his head had been situated next to Hermione's hip. But still, he felt awake and well rested. He attributed it to having Hermione so close. He had not let go of her hand all night- afraid that she would somehow disappear.

Harry realized that the reason he had awoken was due to the pleasurable feeling of fingers slowly raking along his scalp. He turned just his head so that he faced Hermione.

"Good morning." Harry said, not even trying to stop the goofy smile he knew he had on his face as he looked at Hermione.

"More like good afternoon. It's past two." Hermione said, returning Harry's smile- which only helped to widen his smile.

Hermione's smile began to falter as she continued to look at him. "What's wrong Hermione? Do you feel pain? Should I call Poppy?"

Hermione shook her head at Harry. Harry sat up abruptly in alarm when he saw tears begin to form in her eyes. But before he could say anything Hermione began to speak in a tremulous voice which pulled at his heartstrings.

"I'm so sorry Harry. I knew I was hurting you but I couldn't... You were finally freed of fighting off crazy egomaniacs last year and I just... I couldn't imagine putting you through that again. It was selfish, I know, but I just... I just wanted to protect you. You were finally doing what you wanted to do... You were finally happy and I felt like if I could just get Nathaniel, keep his focus on me, then I could keep you safe. I just wanted to keep you free from all of the drama, but once we found out what Nathaniel was intending to do with the love potion and everything, I couldn't turn back. He needed to believe I loved him and that you and I were no longer together. I thought Nathaniel would stop bothering you and we would somehow find where his parents were. Merlin, Ginny was so angry that I stopped talking to you and was keeping you in the dark, but to me... It was the lesser of two evils."

"Yeah, Ginny told me everything while you were sleeping. I can't say that I'm happy about what you did, but I do think I can understand where you're coming from." Harry said quietly. He didn't voice the fact that if he had had a real choice in keeping Hermione away from everything the previous year, he would have. Fuck the fact that he probably would have failed ten times over without her, most likely would have been captured at the Bill and Fleur's wedding if it hadn't been for Hermione. But if he had been given the option, he knew deep down that he would have tried to keep her safe by locking her away in some far off place where no harm could ever find her.

"Will you... can you… do you think you could forgive me for lying to you?" Hermione asked softly.

Harry carefully stood and took a step closer to Hermione. He gently cupped her face in his hands and bent down and tenderly pressed his lips on Hermione's temple. He let his lips roam, kissing the corners of both of her eyes (tasting the slightly salty flavor of her unshed tears), then both of her soft cheeks, and then finally finding their way to her slightly chapped lips.

Harry pulled away only a few centimeters before responding to her question. "What I told Nigel is true. I trust you implicitly. I can't say I totally agree with everything, however I do understand that it was your fool-hardy way of keeping me safe. But Hermione, I need you to promise me you won't ever keep me in the dark again. You can't imagine how it felt to lose you. Leaving everything aside, I missed you so much. The thought that I couldn't keep you safe still tears at my heart." Harry said almost desperately. He needed her to know- to understand that her safety was first and foremost his top priority at all times.

Hermione nodded in understanding. "I promise," she answered with conviction.

"You of all people should know that I am highly susceptible to having too much 'moral fiber' to not be able to help you in any way that I can." Harry joked- trying to put a smile back on Hermione's lovely face.

He was gifted with the tender smile that lit up her face as she again understood without being explicitly told that the matter would be put behind them. That the trust and love the both of them shared would help to banish any doubts away. Hermione slipped her hands between Harry's arms, which was still lifted due to Harry still having a hold of her face, and wrapped them around Harry's neck before pulling him down into a tight hug. Harry let his arms travel down to that he could return the hug.

"Oi, I know you guys are by yourself in here, but it is a public room." Harry and Hermione quickly pulled apart at the familiar drawl of their other best friend.

Harry could feel a wide grin form on his face at seeing Ron Weasley leaning against the door to the infirmary.

"Ron! Get over here you over-sized baboon!" Hermione called out laughingly to Ron. Ron smiled wide as he jogged the short distance towards them. He bent his lanky frame and gave Hermione a tight hug before straightening out and giving Harry a 'manly' hug, with the obligatory back slap to keep things 'manly'.

"When did you get here?" Harry asked once they had pulled apart.

"A couple of hours ago actually. The both of you were sleeping so soundly I figured I could help myself to lunch in the Great Hall and catch up with Ginny and Luna before coming back here." Ron replied.

"I'm assuming you heard about what happened last night?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Yeah, Ginny filled me in about Nathaniel, and also about what happened with Nigel." Ron said solemnly. "Ginny told me he got picked up by two Aurors late last night after the both of you were put in the infirmary. She says he'll be put into a holding cell inside the Ministry until he can appear before the Wizengamot for using an Unforgiveable. She said she asked McGonagall what will happen to him, but because he hasn't come of age yet, they don't really know what will happen to Nigel." Ron finished.

Harry didn't know how to respond to the news. On the one hand he truly disliked Nigel for what he had attempted to do to Hermione, but on the other hand… It was just hard for Harry to reconcile shy Nigel Wolpert from Fourth Year to the bitter and angry wizard Harry had met last night. Harry wasn't sure what to feel, he just knew that above all he just wanted to keep Hermione safe and away from Nigel.

"When do you get discharged from the infirmary?" Harry's attention was pulled to the present at Ron's question, which had been directed at Hermione. Harry's eyes connected with Hermione's and he could see that she was having similar thoughts to his own, but neither voiced their thoughts out loud.

"Poppy said I should be out by dinner tonight." Hermione responded, her eyes still locked with Harry's. She broke the contact by turning her head to look at Ron. "Will you be staying long enough to have dinner with us?" Hermione asked.

Ron nodded genially, "yeah, I don't have to report to McGonagall's office until late to take the Floo back home."

Hermione smiled at the news, and Harry had to agree that he was looking forward to spending time with Ron.

"Well, we still have a couple of hours to kill before you're discharged. Do you want to play Wizard's Chess?" Ron asked hopefully.

"No one ever wants to play chess with you- wizarding or otherwise." Harry responded dryly.

Hermione let out a small chuckle. "How about we play Exploding Snap instead."

Ron's shoulders deflated in disappointment. "Fine, but only if we play Wizarding Chess at least once today. I can't ever find someone to play with me."

Harry and Hermione both chortled as they forced the issues of Nigel and everything that had happened the previous night behind in their minds. At least for the time being, and focused on spending a nice (not so quiet) afternoon just being themselves.

. . . . . . . .HxH.

Author's Note: I actually have no idea what color the eyes of Nigel Wolpert were, but I made it up so as to trick everyone into thinking that it may be Ron- for just a second. Though I'm sure none of y'all actually fell for it... It's so hard to shock readers these days- everyone is so good at predicting what's going to happen and such... But... I'd like to think I got at least one person going for a sec... hahaha.

Well... I hope you guys liked the ending. I want to thank everyone who stuck around to read the story until the end. I'm sorry I flaked so much with updating it in a timely manner. I promise and future stories will be fully written before I post... that way I don't have to live with the debilitating guilt of ruining people's lives (just kidding).

THANK YOU!

shamzika: So the reason why I had Harry concede to the Ministry's surveillance was mostly because he figures he can't win against them- and also because he is close-ish with Kingsley (especially after the rounding-up of the remaining Death Eaters) and is kind of just doing it as a favor to him. I don't think Harry really cares why the ministry thinks it's absolutely necessary to keep such close tabs on him, but I imagine Harry thinks it has to do with the fact that they think Voldemort may come back or any Death Eater stragglers who have not been caught or have fallen under the radar don't try to kill Harry or otherwise harm someone close to Harry. I imagine that regardless of how crappy all bureaucracies are, once a threat had been issued and actually acted out, all forms of governments take extra precautions immediately after any kind of tragic event. It's not that they are keeping an eye on Harry per se, more like they are just being extra cautious, and Harry is just playing along (for now- as long as it doesn't get too annoying.. and given the fact that Harry has been at Hogwarts for the past few months he hasn't really had to deal with them too much).,