The final exams were quite different from what Harry had become accustomed to, after all, it was the first time he had taken them with his classmates. For these, they were held in large classrooms, and students were given enchanted quills so that they could not cheat, and the theoretical exams seemed as if they were never going to end. For the practical part, they did them in their normal classrooms, one by one, to show that no one was helping them.
Everybody was too nervous for their own good, and it was rumoured that more than one student had had to go see the Matron, Madam Pomfrey, to be given a calming potion because they had been on the verge of, or had suffered, a nervous breakdown. Many of his former classmates approached Harry with the intention of asking him questions they had, or asking him if he remembered what they had been asked at the time, so that they could better prepare for it. Then there were those from his own year, who seemed to be making it their personal mission to try and help Harry with his studies, almost as if it had become a matter of honour that he should pass all of them (the fact that he had taken two years' worth of classes in six months and with perfect grades).
It was one of the most stressful weeks for the vast majority of Hogwarts students, without even mentioning the fifth and seventh years who were taking their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s respectively. There were many rumours about anxiety and panic attacks, and crying fits. There was even a rumour about a fifth-year Ravenclaw who had collapsed after her Transfiguration examination, because, according to her, it had not gone well and she would not get more than a 'Disastrous'.
It was for that reason that everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they handed in their last exam and could enjoy the two remaining weeks of the term in complete freedom, as they didn't even have classes; a foreign concept for Harry, who had been on a totally intensive curriculum. Ignoring Hermione, who intended to go over each and every one of her exams with her friends, all of them went to their respective dormitories, wishing for a good and relaxing night's rest.
Harry was in the Great Hall, enjoying the farewell banquet like everyone else. He felt very satisfied with himself, after the whole term had been quite productive, and although he disliked having to go back home the next day, he didn't want it to destroy his good mood. At that moment, he was talking quietly with Athenea while they waited for the Headmaster to declare who had won the House Cup... although it was no surprise; the whole school knew it had been Slytherin, closely followed by Gryffindor. Hufflepuff, his house, had come last, for a change. In fact, at that moment, he was commenting on Ernie Macmillan's performance right after the exams, when Ernie got up from the table, attracting everyone's attention towards himself.
That in itself was nothing new; after all, Ernie liked to be the centre of attention and very often used to boast of being a pure-blood, which was ironic considering that his best friend, Justin, was the son of Muggles. What was new, and what made him call even more attention to himself, not only focusing on the Hufflepuff table, was when, as if he heard music that did not exist to others, he began to dance just as he would if he were in the middle of a ballroom, dancing a waltz.
"Not that I think it's very normal for him," Harry murmured as he watched Ernie begin dancing towards the end of the table. "In fact, I doubt that he is even aware of what he is doing."
"And I have to agree with you," Jonathan nodded. "Ernie would never make a fool of himself like that."
The whole Dining Hall watched stunned as Ernie walked over to Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones, who had been speaking calmly among themselves, but at that moment, they were looking at Ernie with horror. The latter, ignoring the looks he received, only invited them to dance with him, to which he undoubtedly received a refusal.
"Oh, Merlin, poor things, what a shame!" whispered Athenea.
"But what on earth is happening to him?" asked Jonathan.
"He's the victim of a prank, of course," Harry assured. "What else? Let's hope that it's over now, and he doesn't embarrass himself further."
But despite Harry's comment, Ernie did not come to his senses when the girls rejected him; instead, as if nothing had happened, he began to dance in the direction of the teachers' table, and more than one feared that the young Hufflepuff would ask Professor McGonagall to dance... If that happened, they were sure that the Transfiguration mistress wouldn't make it easy for the Hufflepuff in the future. Lucky for him, McGonagall was not the target, but his own Head of House, Professor Sprout.
With her, he performed exactly the same procedure as with Susan and Hannah. The only difference was that as soon as he took her hand, he blinked, and then adopted an expression of horror that looked a lot like the ones Hannah and Susan had given her a few minutes ago. Apologising to his teacher, he ran in the direction of his seat at the table and tried to make himself completely invisible, to the laughter of almost everyone in the Great Hall.
Harry looked at the Gryffindor table, where he knew he would find the Weasley twins, and saw them smiling in amusement. If it had not been for a faint gleam of pride in their eyes, which made him realise who had been responsible for Ernie's embarrassment, he would not have smiled gratefully at them.
The rest of the night was just as pleasant as the previous one, making Harry easily forget the fact that the next day he would have to return home. The best thing was to enjoy life. That night, Harry fell asleep with a big smile on his lips, happy to have such good friends.
It was this attitude that made the return journey much more pleasant than it would have been if he had continued to sulk about his return home. He enjoyed everything he could in the last hours that would allow him to use magic (at least with his wand, because he knew his other ways of doing magic were completely undetectable to the Ministry), and played magical chess or Exploding Snap. He laughed with his friends, remembering the prank played on Ernie, and listened to his friends' summer plans, while at the same time promising to send owls to all of them (of course, if he could borrow their parents' owls).
When they arrived at King's Cross, the parents were waiting for them behind the barrier, which they had to pass in groups of two or three so as not to attract the attention of Muggles (who were absent-minded, but not so much), and they were reunited with them. There, Harry received the biggest surprise he'd had in several months, since instead of meeting Remus or Sirius, as he had expected, his father was waiting for him, although his expression was not that of a happy person.
Bidding farewell to his friends, he set out to return home for the next two months.