“You both realise of course that you have both broken a dozen school rules, and that is enough to get you both expelled!” Dumbledore stated, “therefore it is only fitting that you both receive special awards for services to the school. Now Mr Weasley if you would have an owl deliver these release papers to Azkaban I believe we will want our gamekeeper back. Harry, I sense that there is something troubling you, is that right?”

“It’s just that I couldn’t help but notice certain similarities between Tom Riddle and me.”

“I see,” Dumbledore stated, “like you can speak parseltongue Harry, why, because Lord Voldemort could speak parseltongue. If I am not mistaken Harry, he transferred some of his powers to you the night he gave you that scar.”

“Yeah that’s what Professor Snape said,” Harry said, feeling that the formal way of referring to the man was the best when in front of his headmastser.

“Indeed, Severus is a wise man. Also a busy man. Remember, just because you have found out about his special relationship with you don’t expect there to be any changes in your life. Severus is first and foremost a solitary man and doesn’t like to associate too much with other people.” Dumbledore leaned over closer to Harry to look at him eye to eye as he said “no matter how hard one might try.”

“Yes sir,” Harry said timidly.

“But if you are so much like Voldemort Harry, why did the sorting hat place you in Gryffindor?” Dumbledore asked.

Oh no! Harry thought. Maybe his is going to take me away from Gryffindor! Make me a Slytherin? Or remove me from Hogwarts?

“Because I asked it to,” Harry said.

“Exactly Harry, exactly!  Which makes you different from Voldemort! It is not our abilities that makes us who we are, it is our choices.

The door opened and Lucius Malfoy appeared.

“So, I see you’re back Dumbledore,” he sneered.

“Yes, after a girl was taken into the chamber the other governers decided it best to summon me back. By the way Lucius, many people were under the belief that you would curse their families if you didn’t sign for my removal. I would investigate that if I was you.”

“How dare you, my main concern has always and will always be the welfare of the school and its students,” Lucius looked repulsed as he stated this as if he was speaking to a piece of dirt under his foot. “The culprit has been found I presume?”

“Oh yes,” Dumbledore stated, “it was Voldemort, the same as last time.”

“Ah...well...I hold no further business here. Come Dobby!”

Harry stood looking extremely shocked that the house elf who had been appearing to him in fact belonged to his worst enemies family. That would explain why the poor elf was so terrified of someone finding him with Harry and also why he often had injuries. Harry knew only too well about those kinds of injuries and he would do his best to try not to let anybody else suffer like he did.

Harry thought for a while...what about what Dobby said earlier...he could only be freed if his master gave him clothes...he looked at the book and he thought...then he chased after Mr Malfoy with the diary and his little suprise in his hand.

 “Mr Malfoy! I believe this is yours!” Harry handed him the diary.

“No, you can’t prove that. Take it back!” Mr Malfoy stated.

“No sir, I think you know what I mean,” Harry took a step back towards Dumbledore’s office again who calmly put his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Leaving aren’t you Lucius?” Dumbledore asked.

Lucius smirked at Dumbledore and turned back to leave thrusting the diary at Dobby.

“Open it!” Harry whispered.

Harry’s sock fell out of the diary.

“Master has presented Dobby with a sock! Dobby is free!” Dobby smiled and disappeared.

Lucius turned back towards Harry with an unknown fury in his eyes, but Dumbledore merely put himself beween Harry and Lucius and glared at him. Lucius left in a hurry.

That evening everything was as it should be at Hogwarts. Everybody was saying how great it was to see Sir Nicholas (Nearly Headless Nick) and welcoming those who had been petrified back into their midst.

“Hermione!” Ginny squealed getting up from the table she rushed over towards her friend with Harry and Ron following.

She wrapped her arms around Hermione as if never to let go. But she had to as Hermione greeted her friends with a big hug. Ginny grabbed hold of her again and brought her towards the table to eat with them. Happily as if there was nothing wrong in the world.

Dumbledore stood, “Before the end of year announcements, can we have a round of applause for Professor Sprout, Madam Pomfrey, who’s mandrake juice has been successfully administered to all of those who have been petrified. Also in retrospect of what has happened, as a school treat. All exams aside from Newt level have been cancelled!”

Then a familiar figure appeared in the doorway to the Great Hall, “HAGRID!” Harry got up to greet his friend.

“Harry! Hello Hermione! I’m sorry I was late, the owl that was sent for my release papers got all lost and confused, some ruddy bird called Errol!” Ron looked a little embarrassed.

“I’d just like to say that, if not for you Harry, Ron and Hermione of course, i’d still be you know where, so I’d like to say thanks!” Hagrid said.

“There’s no Hogwarts without you Hagrid!” Harry said as he gave him a hug. The whole school erupted in cheers and applause. For once it seemed that Hagrid was getting the much needed appreciation that he had always hoped for. Harry just watched as everybody cheered him on, his hero. A man that he truly looked up to.

Dumbledore watched as his school happily cheered for the gamekeeper. Hagrid truly was a remarkable man and deserved to be acknowledged for all of the effort he makes around the school occasionally. “Ok everybody be seated!” he announced in his magically enhanced voice.

The school sat and resumed their meal. It was wonderful to see Ginny and Hermione chatting away and giggling as always. “I missed you sooo much Hermione and I am SOOO sorry!” Ginny said as she gently stroked her friend’s hand. Hermione moved her hand away stating “We shall talk about this later.” Then started talking to Harry about just how disappointed she was that there would be no exams because she felt that there was no way in which to represent her learned knowledge without them. Harry...found this conversation particularly boring and chose to join in with Ron who was having a fight with Dean about who was the best world quidditch team and who would take the cup this year.

But soon dinner finished and Harry made his way slowly to Gryffindor tower one last time for that year. He remembered how hard the last summer had been for him, but at least now he had worked out how to hide his spell books in the corner of his new room, under the floor boards, so living with the Dursley’s wasn’t going to be that hard for him...was it? He slowly folded up his clothes and put them in his suitcase.

“Hey what’s the gloomy face for?” Ron asked as he gleefully walked in from dinner.

“Well...you know...just thinking about this summer,” Harry said.

“Yeah, tough break man,” Ron said, “but maybe my brothers and I will be able to spring you earlier this year. I know that my mum has been wanting to keep you for the Summer break since you started school here and I told her all about you. But Dumbledore keeps refusing.”

Harry’s shoulders slumped as he went to help his friend pack his bags too. “I am really going to miss you Ron,” he said quietly. Ron turned around and wrapped his arms around his friend resting his head on his shoulder. “I know, me too.”

“Come on you guys, we have to go the carriages are here already!” Hermione said coming in followed by Ginny who was taking two heavy suitcases by herself. “Ginny, I told you to wait in our room!” Hermione said taking her suitcase.

“I know,” Ginny said, “but I thought that we should just talk on the train, you are right we do need to leave.”

“No Ginny, we need to have a discussion in our room before we leave,” Hermione said putting her suitcase by the wall of the boys bedroom and the same with Ginny’s and taking her back to the girls room.

She walked over to the bed which she had been occupying for much of the semester and sat down indicating to Ginny that she should sit beside her.

“Look Ginny, I know that you were under an enchantment for most of this year and therefore acting in a strange way that you might have not been responsible for a lot of your actions,” Hermione stated, “I understand if you only like me just as a friend, but...a few times this year I have wondered if you could possibly feel something more for me..more than friendship...like sisterhood maybe?”

But the only thought going through Ginny’s mind was “I don’t want to be her sister! I want to be her sweet heart.”

Ginny did something that she had never done before and gently cupped Hermione’s head in her hand brushing back some of her long her “Hermione, what I feel for you goes deeper than that,”

“It does?” Hermione said as she lifted her head and smiled. An honest smile, which quickly became a frown when she remembered what she wanted to say to Ginny.

“Here,” Hermione said giving her a few books that she had left in a drawer, “I meant to give you these before we’d fully packed. Madam Pince has allowed me to borrow a couple of books out during the summer and I thought that you could benefit from reading these. I’ve already read them and I will of course be writing to you and asking you questions about them just to make sure that you fully understand what has been written.”

The books were titled:

Dark Arts and why they are so dangerous.

The magic within dark artefacts.

And

How to ensure you do not get tricked by a dark entity.

She pointed to the third book, “I think you will find that one particularly enticing. It might help if you write a brief summary of every book...say a scroll length or two to make sure that you understand the key points, I can read them and let you know if you understand it all.

Ginny’s face fell when she looked at the books, the last thing that she intended to do was study over the summer. But then she thought...Hermione had been petrified for most of the last semester. She was trying to reach out and help and by doing that she went back to knowledge which has always been something that she had prided herself in. Then she thought “Maybe by trying to share books with me like this, she is trying to share a part of herself with me and I am not going to turn her away.”

“Oh Hermione thank you!” Ginny said as if all of her Christmas’ had come at once. She threw herself at the other girl wrapping her arms around her and kissed her gently on the lips.

“WOW!” Hermione said, “if this is the reaction you give from a couple of books I should give you some to read more often!” She returned the kiss and the two girls hugged.

“Come on you two we are going to be late!” said Ron from the door who was carrying his luggage as well as Ginny’s and Harry was following carrying his and Hermione’s.

The two girls took their own luggage and everybody raced down the stairs in time for the carriage. They got on the last one that was leaving Hogwarts and were glad to get to the station in time for the train.

“Harry, I was wondering if you would make it here in time,” said Snape who seemed to appear out of thin air. Harry got onto the train alongside his friends and Snape said, “what..do you think I’d really let you go back to Petunia’s again knowing the way she feels about magic?” The train doors closed and Snape led them into a nearby empty compartment where he sat down with the children and the train departed. Snape put his hand on Harry’s shoulder and stated, “Let’s go home son.”