Chapter Twenty-Four - You've Only Just Begun

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road / Time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go / So make the best of this test and don't ask why / It's not a question but a lesson learned in time / It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right / I hope you had the time of your life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The ceremony wasn't until twelve o'clock, but by nine, the castle was already bustling with activity. Families were showing up, arrangemnets were being made for parents who had stayed overnight, mostly for students whose parents were both Muggle-born.

Harry and Ron were sitting in the Great Hall with all six of the other Weasly children, their parents, and Sirius and Remus. Hermione was talking to Dawn. Dawn said something and they both started laughing.

Harry and Ron sighed.

"Awe - is ickle Ronniekins smitten?" Fred asked. "That's so cute" George said, clasping his hands together over-dramatically and batting his eyelashes.

Ron glared and grumbled. Harry laughed.

Dawn came over and put her arms around Ron's waist. "Guess who" She whispered seductively.

"Dawnine, my parents are here" He murmered out of the corner of his mouth. She giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Ron, be a dear and go - oh, who's this?" Molly Weasly asked, suddenly curious.

"Oh! Right - uh, Mom, this is Dawn. Dawn, this is my mom"

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Weasly"

"Please, call me Molly"

Dawn smiled and looked up to see Xander waving her over. "Excuse me, I'll be right back"

Molly waited until she was out of earshot to say, "She seems like a nice girl"

"She is mum" He said, looking in her direction. "She really is"

"Harry, your girlfriend wants you"

Harry was yanked out of the stupor he had fallen into and glanced around for Hermione. Sirius laughed. "Oh, that was great - the same trick worked on your father" He was still laughing.

"Shut up Sirius"

Sirius wiped the tears from his eyes and cleared his throat. "So, how are things between you and Hermione?"

"I love her" He said honestly.

"Ah, yes. Love. I knew you did. The way you two were always giving each other googly eyes all the time - and don't deny it. It's like your father and your mother all over again. And Prongs denied it too"

Harry grumbled something under his breath. "Sirius, stop torturing the boy, really," Remus said smiling. "Harry, Dumbledore wants to see you, Hermione and Ron"

Harry nodded and walked off.

"Bye lover!" Sirus called across the room. Hermione glowered at him and Harry hid his face in his hands. Ron and Dawn couldn't stop laughing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Harry, do you remember the plan?" Professor Dumbledore asked him.

"Yup - Dawn went to get it right now"

"Get what?" Buffy asked, taking her seat.

"Nothing!" The three of them lied. They eyed each other and went off to find their own seats.

"Professor, what's going on? My friends have been sneaking around behind my back all morning, and now the Terrible Trio are in on it?" She put a hand on her hip. "What are they plotting?"

"You'll see. I promise" He offered her a candy. "Lemon drop?"

Buffy eyed him suspiciously.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind / Hang it on a shelf in good health and good times / Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial / For what it's worth, it was worth all the while / It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right / I hope you had the time of your life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By twelve, everyone was assembled, and the ceremony was about to start. Hundreds of setas were filled with happy family member and excited Seventh Years. The teachers were sitting on a make-shift stage, behind which hung the banners of the four houses and the Hogwarts crest.

Dumbledore stood up and everyone went silent.

"Welcome friends and family. Welcome professors, and, most of all, congratulations Seventh Years" There was a roar of applause. "After today, you will be moving on to bigger things. Some of you may become Aurors. Some of you may work for the Ministry of Magic. Some of you may even end up teaching somewhere down the road.

This has probably been the most eventful, adventure-filled seven years of your lives. It certainly has been interesting, to say the very least"

"Interesting is an understatement" Harry mumbled under his breath.

"I hope to see you all at Alumni Day next year. But until then, I only have one thing to say - good luck to all of you in your lives ahead"

Dumbledore stepped down to another round of applause and Professor McGonagall stepped up. "I have a few announcemnets to make.

Beginning next year, we will only have one Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and one Muggle Defense professor. Professor O'Flaherty and Professor Summers are leaving to be married"

Buffy smiled and squeezed Angel's hand.

"Best of luck to both of them. On a higher note, we have recieved word that Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown gave both been asked to work at the Ministry of Magic office in America. Good luck to both of you" Parvati smiled.

"Now, a few words from our Head Boy, Harry Potter" (like you didn't know.....)

Harry stepped up onto the stage. He looked over at Dawn who nodded.

"I was asked to make a short speech thanking our professors for seven great years and, while I'm sure we're all greatful for the lessons we've learned, I would actually like to thank one professor in particular -

Professor Buffy Summers"

Buffy glanced over at Dumbledore who had that familiar twinkle in his eye. She looked at Angel who gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Professor Summers has had the most.....interesting class all year. She revealed her entire life to us without a second thought, and that says something.

"But, if there's one thing I've learned from Buffy Summers, it's to believe in yourself, and to know what you can accomplish. Buffy once told me to never doubt something evil will happen, and to believe in myself and my friends. She's taught me a great deal about life even though she herself is only three short years older then us. So, I only think it's appropriate to give something back.

"Let me fill you in on a little secret. Buffy was given the class protector award at her own high school prom, and a few months later, that award was broken, almost detroyed. Though I'm sure she will never admit this, she was very upset by this. So, I think it's only fair that we reapeat history"

Dawn walked up and handed the same gold umbrella that Buffy recieved at her prom to Harry. It was as good as new.

"The Seventh Years would like to present this to you, Professor Summers, not only for being our protector, because we all knew you were capable of that from the beginning, but also for being our mentor - and our friend"

Buffy had tears in her eyes as she walked over to Harry to tumultous applause. She gave him a hug to rival all hugs.

"You shouldn't have done this" She whispered.

"Yes I should have. I wouldn't have been able to get through all of this without you. Plus, you know, you helped me and Hermione get together"

She laughed at his goofish grin. "Thank you"

"Nah, thank you"

Harry and Buffy sat down and Ron stepped up to a huge amount of aplause from his fellow Gryffindors - since he had become captain Sixth Year (grin) they had failed to lose the Quidditch Cup.

"Another year gone, another Quidditch match won" More applause. Dawn shook her head and Hermione rolled her eyes. They were both grinning.

"But enough from me. It is my honor to present my best friend and Head Girl, Hermione Granger" (once again, are you REALLY surprised?)

He clapped and gave Hermione a hug before sittinng down.

"Good afternoon"Hermione looked at her notes and then shook her head. "You know what? I don't want to read this"

Ron leaned over to Harry. "What is she doing?" Harry shook his head. "I have no idea" Ron glanced at Dawn who shrugged.

"For the past seven years, we've been like one big family. Ten months out of the year, we come to Hogwarts, the greatest school the wizarding world has to offer. But, it's more then that. It's home. A place where we've developed from eleven year old children to seventeen and eighteen year old wizards and witches, and now I'm wondering - where do we go from here? Have we really changed at all? Are we still the class clowns who always play jokes on other houses? Are we still - " She glanced at Harry and Ron, and smiled. "Are we still the Terrible Trio, who's always together, causing more trouble then all four houses combined? Are we still the people everybody loves to hate. Or - maybe, just maybe, have we finally discovered who we REALLY are. Maybe we have an idea. Maybe we have a dream. But we still have our whole lives ahead of us. Seven years, and we're convinced that we know all the ways of the world.

"But looking back on this year, I've realized something - nobody knows what the whole world is like because nobody knows what fate is going to throw at them next. We may have been a hero, we may have been a trickster, we may have been ignorant, but that doesn't mean we have to stay that way. This is the first day of the rest of our lives. One road is ending and another is beginng and the road we choose today may change. We don't know everything, no matter how much we hate to admit it. Sometimes I wonder if we even know ourselves.

"So, I'd like to end by quoting a few dear friends of mine who may have realized the value of their advice long before I did. But I understand it now.

"You think you know who you are, what's to come. But you've only just begun"

~*

Hermione's speech was the most interesting of all the ones that followed. By the end of everything, the students were antsy to leave.

Dumbledore stepped up again. "I believe that we are finished. Ms. Granger said it best. This road of your lives is finished, a new one about to begin.

"Congratulations Seventh Years - you've made it"

The Seventh Years stood up cheering and threw their hats in the air.

"Congratulations" Ron said to Harry and Hermione.

"Yeah. Congrats" Hermione said. The three of them got into a group hug. Dawn waited for them to finish, but found herself being pulled in by Ron. He kissed her on the cheek.

The four of them linked arms and walked back into the castle for the feast in the Great Hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right / I hope you had the time of your life...

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