Chapter twenty two

During lunch the following day, every student we're notified that they could all wear casual clothes to their celebration feast. So after the final class of the day, all students went up to their room to change out of the school clothes and robes before putting on casual if not nice clothes before making their way down to the great hall and found the large long tables gone to be replaced by lots of round tables of different sizes that could get smaller or bigger depending on how many sat there. When every student was sitting at the tables and the staff along with the minister and the four aurors who had been at Hogwarts since the start of the year, every house elf appeared around tables, then magically placing food on all the tables. Kreacher of course was at Harry's table along with Winky who bowed to Harry and Draco.

'Thanks Kreacher, this all looks wonderful.'

'You're welcome Master Harry and of course I made your favourites but if anyone wishes for something else, they just have to speak what they want and it will appear.'

'Good to know Kreacher,' Ron grinned, then looked around at all the food with everyone chuckling happily, even Hermione had to laugh at her boyfriend.

As the meals finished, the lights dimmed and music started playing. All the students looked around and saw a stage lit up with the Weird Sisters standing there playing their instruments, then a lot of students surge towards the stage or to the dance floor with their partners. Harry and Draco held hands as they walked to the dance floor and started to dance together and only had eyes for each other.

After about an hour, Harry felt a tap on his shoulder, 'Hermione wants to dance with you Harry, but I'm not dancing with Draco, we'll just sit down.'

Harry and Draco laughed, 'I wouldn't expect you to Ron, but I want to have a dance with my best friend, well female best friend,' Harry took Hermione's hand and they slowly danced together, 'I feel so good right now Hermione.'

'So do I Harry, it's hard to believe it's all over. I know it was over that night, but it's truly over now,' Hermione put her head on Harry's shoulder as they dance. When the song finished, they heard the singer of the Weird Sisters asking for quiet, so Hermione and Harry faced the stage, Ron, Neville and their friends joined them, but Ron and Hermione grinned at each other.

'Even if this celebration was put together rather quickly by Professor McGonagall and Minister Shacklebolt, we got asked by a student if he could sing a song to his special person. So please welcome to the stage Draco Malfoy singing to his love, Harry Potter,' the singer stepped back and pointed at the piano where Draco started to sing as he stared at Harry who had walked slowly between the parting crowd as he watched Draco sing to him. Everyone either watched Harry or Draco, girls with tears in their eyes as they heard the words to the beautiful long song, some of the boys also looked moved and the older couples held onto each other as they watched and listened to the words of love sung by one young man to his love.

When the song finished, everyone cheered and applauded as Draco smiled and stepped off the stage right into Harry's waiting arms and everyone knew what was coming as Harry and Draco stared into each other's eyes before their lips met in a very passionate kiss. As the music started again all the students never moved from the circle they had formed around Harry and Draco, they just kept watching the couple until they finally pulled apart.

'Oh merlin love, that was wonderful,' Harry said in a hoarse whisper.

'I meant every word my love, so I wanted to show you.'

'You certainly did that, but why didn't you ever tell me you could sing?'

'I never told anyone, well my mother knew but kept it to herself as my father would not have approved. But until we got together, I never had a lot to sing about, now I have,' Draco grinned.

'Yeah, you have and you'll have to sing for me again.'

'Anytime babe, but now let's just enjoy holding each other until,' Draco leaned towards Harry's ear and whispered to him.

'Did you have to say whatever it was to Harry Draco, now we'll never get any sense out of him. All he'll want to do is race you off.'

Draco chuckled, 'That's what I'm hoping Ron.'

'Well you will have to wait Mr. Malfoy,' Minerva McGonagall said as she stepped over to them, 'You have a wonderful voice and should sing more often.'

'Thank you Professor and I plan to now I have something worth singing about.'

'I would like to ask Harry if he would consent to have a dance with his old Professor?'

Harry grinned, 'Of course I would Professor,' Harry let go of Draco and instantly took Minerva McGonagall's hand in one of his and put his other hand to her waist and they danced to shocked looks from the other students, 'I don't think their used to seeing this side of you Professor.'

'No, there not, but I thought since all of us are celebrating, I would like to as well. So I've noticed how good you look Harry, not tired at all, concentrating on your work and you always look happy.'

'Yeah, I am and I'm sleeping great now, have since I saw him burn. I just felt it, felt that everything was finally going to be okay.'

'I'm happy for you and I heard you say yesterday that you and Draco are planning on getting married.'

Harry smiled hugely, 'Yeah, we're going to have a civil ceremony, like a marriage but for gay men. We bought our rings while we were in Hogsmeade yesterday.'

'Then if you would like to Harry, why not have you're ceremony here before you leave. You always said Hogwarts was like you're first real home and you love the place, so it would be a perfect place to start you're married life with the man you love.'

Harry's smile got bigger, 'I would have to talk it over with Dra, but if he's okay with it, I would love to because this place has been my home for so long.'

'Then why don't I give you back to your man and you can discuss it with him,' Minerva gave Harry a hug before letting him go.

Harry turned and Draco was instantly by his side, so they put their arms around each other and kissed passionately to more whistles and suggestive comments.

'Professor McGonagall made a suggestion that I love, but you'd have to want it as well love and if you don't like the idea then we won't.'

'Tell me first so I can decide Harry,' Draco chuckled.

'She suggested that we have our civil ceremony here before we leave.'

Draco could see how much Harry wanted this, 'Yeah, we can do that babe and I think it's fitting. We did meet here even if we didn't like each other at the time. It has been our home you could say for a lot of years, the staff are like family in a way, so it should be here.'

'I love you Dra,' Harry grinned hugely.

'I love you to Harry, so we've got some plans to get to in between all our work.

'Yeah, we do, but I wanted to ask you something now that were here studying. Have you thought about what you want to do when we finish?'

'I have Harry, it's a lot of work especially for the next couple of years, but it's something I want to do.'

'I want you to do whatever you like love, so what is it?'

'A healer, it's something I've thought about for a few years, but of course I could never even consider it with my father, now he's gone, so I can do what I want.'

'You'll be great love, I know you will. As for what you said about a lot of work, well auror training is like that for the first couple of years as well. So we'll just have to make sure we get some time together.'

'We will Harry, we'll always make sure we spend enough time together until we are both fully training. But think of this, auror work is dangerous, what better profession for me to have than healer to help you whenever you end up hurt from work. It's not something I want to happen, but we all know it does, so I'll be able to heal you whenever you need it.'

Harry laughed, 'Yeah, you can but I'm going to try my hardest not to get hurt, well hurt badly.'

'Good,' Draco pulled Harry to him and they just stood there holding each other with the music playing and students dancing around them.

The celebration feast went until the early hours of the morning and even though Minerva McGonagall wanted to students in bed at a decent time, she never pushed them to go, just let them enjoy their night. When it was getting very late, Fawkes, the beautiful red phoenix flew down and landed in front of Harry.

'Fawkes,' Harry knelt down while all the students and staff stared at the phoenix that everyone knew had belonged to Albus Dumbledore, 'I'm not sure if you can understand me or not, but are you here because you want me to be your new owner?' the phoenix ran his long beak over Harry's arm, he took that as a yes, 'If that meant yes, just know I am honoured Fawkes and I will always take care of you,' again Fawkes ran his beak over Harry's hand before looking up into his eyes, then he flew over and sat on the seat Harry had been sitting to eat his dinner. Harry and Draco stared at the bird before having one last dance.

Over the next few months, everyone was studying hard. Harry and Draco had their plans done for their ceremony which was going to be the day after they take their N.E.W.T.s. Every one headed home for a Christmas break and enjoyed their couple of weeks of just relaxing. Harry and Draco had Christmas dinner with Narcissa at her new home along with Andromeda, Teddy and Aberforth. In the evening Harry and Draco headed home then spent a few hours with Hermione, Ron, Neville and Luna before they headed back home.

After the Christmas break, the older students hardly did anything but classes and study. Draco and Hermione helped Harry, Ron and the rest of the quidditch team keep up with their work because Harry wanted them to train a lot because so far every game they played, Gryffindor won. Ginny had ended up as chaser and was now talking politely to Harry and Draco, but she still never spent time with them apart from training. The game for the quidditch cup was between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, which went on for five hours before Harry caught the snitch to cheers from everyone including the Ravenclaw team. Scouts from all the professional teams had been there but they had been to a few other games so they could see all the players. Ginny and Dean were both picked up, Ginny by the Holyhead Harpies, Dean by Puddlemere United. Harry was asked if he wanted to play by five different teams, but he explained about his ambition to be an auror. Every captain said the same thing to Harry when he told them that. Their world was in safe hands.

The anniversary of the day Voldemort fell arrived and a ceremony took place on the grounds of Hogwarts. It was beautiful and simple but also an emotional day for people that had lost loved ones. Kingsley got to place his statue of Harry on the grounds of Hogwarts with Harry grimacing every time he saw it. But of course he did get asked for pictures standing next to it by hundreds of people. Harry reluctantly consented and even smiled while having his picture taken, then everyone went into the entrance way to see all the plaques that had a small engraved picture of a person that had lost their life due to Voldemort. Harry stood staring at his parents and Sirius who of course were side by side, but Remus and Tonks were also beside them. The Weasley family stood looking at the plaque with Fred's name and picture on it. Everyone stood in silence as they stared at the plaques until they heard a loud groaning coming from a very pregnant Fleur Weasley who had gone into labour. After everyone had left, the Weasley family along with their friends including Harry and Draco stayed in the hospital wing until little Victoire Weasley was born. She was called Victoire as a tribute to their victory over evil.

All the students did their tests, Harry and all his friends were very confident they had all passed their N.E.W.T.s, so the whole lot of them actually had a good time the moment they finished their last test.

Harry and Draco had a beautiful but very simple civil ceremony under the large beech tree. They said their own vows, exchanged their rings, dedicated their life and love to the other before kissing very passionately to loud cheers and whistles, but of course some crude comments. They had a wonderful party in the great hall with all their friends and family that went late into the night.

The morning of their last day at Hogwarts, Harry, Draco and all their friends packed and met down in the great hall with Fawkes flying behind Harry. Every one of them all shook the staffs hands, but they couldn't resist giving Minerva McGonagall a hug and of course they all hugged Hagrid who couldn't stop crying. They staff of Hogwarts waved off their remarkable students with wishes that they all had wonderful and fulfilling futures. But they knew that this group of students would always be their favourites and will be remembered forever, because if it wasn't for Harry and his friends, they knew what their world would be like. So as they waved, most of the staff, even Filch had tears in their eyes watching their hero's go into the world to start their new lives in a safe world they helped bring about.

The end: