In comparison to Harry's first five years at Hogwarts, his last two were terribly boring. Harry was glad for that though, as it felt, in many ways, like his life was finally getting to start. The prophecy had implied that neither would live while the other survived, and Harry had finally, truly, understood what that meant.
Voldemort's specter didn't loom over him. The man was gone, his body burned to ashes and the urn tossed through the veil in the Department of Mysteries. Everything they had said that there were no more Horcruxes, and Voldemort's own reactions at the end seemed to confirm that. The world was free of him, and could rest easy.
The immediate days and weeks following Voldemort's death had been a whirlwind. There were trials for the various Death Eaters who had survived, with all of them barring a select few spending their days in Azkaban, most expecting never to return to life outside, although some had relatively short sentences. Harry was unconcerned about that, all those who held enough sway or power that they could even theoretically reignite Voldemort's cause were spending their lives, if they still had them, behind bars. A number had tried to fight to the bitter end, but were struck down just as decisively.
He'd been awarded an Order of Merlin for his efforts, and, with enough prompting from himself and Dumbledore, so was everyone who defended Hogwarts on that faithful night. The story of a group of fifty wizards, nearly half of them school children, standing tall against an army of some of the most dangerous individuals in Britain had been a sensational story that resonated with the populace. Any ability for Voldemort's cause to rise from the ashes of that assault had died down as their tactics would have been ineffective. Hogwarts had shown that not only could you stand up to them, but that you could win. That they had won. That they would have continued winning for as long as it took. Most people wouldn't understand what that meant, but Harry was content with that. If he was the only one who knew war so that everyone else could know peace, that was acceptable.
On the more personal side of matters, aside from the required ceremonies where Harry and the girls were awarded their Orders of Merlin, as well as a singular press conference to discuss what had brought about Voldemort's demise, Harry and the girls retreated from the public eye for the entirety of the summer, keeping as low of a profile as they could. They had received their OWL scores, and to no one's surprise Hermione had received 12 O's. Joining her were Daphne, Padma, Harry, and Parvati, while everyone else only received 10 O's, not taking the ones for the electives they'd chosen not to pursue. If nothing else, it was further proof that the Sphinx Club had done its job, and created at least a dozen outstanding wizards.
The success of the Sphinx Club hadn't gone unnoticed, and when they'd returned for their sixth year, the number of people who requested to join had skyrocketed. The Hogwarts staff had cut it off, saying that no one else was allowed to join the club, but several similar study groups emerged, people suddenly motivated by seeing what a group of driven individuals had been able to do in only five short years. The average test score for Hogwarts shot up an entire letter grade, which pleased the professors to no end.
And now, at the end of Harry's seventh year, with his NEWT exams solidly behind them (O's across the board, a distinction shared by every member of the Sphinx Club) he stood at the podium in front of the student body, as they eagerly awaited his words. Dumbledore, for all his wisdom, had decided that the top student of the year would deliver a speech, and while Harry had assumed that meant Hermione, she, alongside the other members of the Sphinx Club, had pushed him to write the speech that was to be delivered. They all said the same thing: "Without you, the Sphinx Club wouldn't exist, and we wouldn't be here now."
So, Harry had written a speech, which had then been rewritten by Daphne, Hermione, and Padma, tossed back and forth until it was satisfactory to all four of them, and now all that was left was for him to give it.
"Students and Staff of Hogwarts," Harry began, his voice ringing through the great hall, amplified by the spell that Dumbledore had on his podium. "This is a day of happiness and sadness in equal measure. Seven years ago, I stepped into this great hall for the first time. A fledgling wizard who hardly knew one end of his wand from the other. I was an orphan, raised by a family that didn't love me, that hated me for the mere act of existing, and thrust into a world that viewed me with a type of reverence I to this day am still unsure of."
Harry could see Hermione, Daphne, and Padma each balling their hands into fists as they were reminded of the Dursleys and their treatment of him. It had taken many long and hard conversations for them, now as adults, to not track down and deliver 'justice' to the ones who had made Harry's life before Hogwarts so hard. Harry had convinced them he had moved past that trauma. That he was no longer the beaten, anxiety riddled boy they had dropped off at King's Cross those years ago. He stood tall now as a man. A man with a family that loved him, six soon-to-be brides eager to begin their lives with him, and a network of friends so great they had literally fought side-by-side with him against one of the greatest evils of the world.
"What changed me from that small, worried creature of a boy, was Hogwarts. Not the building, not the institution, but the people within. Within the walls of this institution, a flame was lit, a flame that became the torch of knowledge carried by the Sphinx Club. The Sphinx Club was founded on the idea that house boundaries need to stop friendship. Need not divide us, as so many things seem to want to. The Sphinx Club wanted to prove that just because the Sorting Hat called you a Ravenclaw, that didn't mean that you only could speak to other Ravenclaws. We came together, in the shared pursuit of knowledge and friendship, to stand taller than we could on our own." Harry continued, as his mind flashed back to the early days of the club. To setting up the room for the first time. To their initial study sessions where they learned of their specialities. To the competitions he and Padma would have over who was better at Charms. To Neville happily explaining the intricacies of Herbology. To Daphne making sure everyone knew how to properly make a potion that Snape wouldn't sneer at.
"Through unity, togetherness, we became more. More than just a gaggle of schoolchildren. More than just some overachievers. We became wizards, true ones who overcame many obstacles." Harry paused for a moment, letting his emotions stamp down for a second as he looked over what he had written next. Remembering the myriad rewrites of how much credit he'd allow others to take for what he viewed as the club's accomplishments over the years. "In our first year, we'd prepared ourselves to the point that a course designed to stump adult wizards was viewed as an appropriate test for our abilities. In our second year, we uncovered the secret of Slytherin's monster, and defeated it and Voldemort's shade. In our third year, we managed to convince the Wizengamot of the innocence of a hippogriff in an incident with a student, and managed to master a charm considered too advanced for many adult wizards." Harry waved his wand, summoning his patronus as a visual aid, the mighty spectral silver sphinx coming to stand at his side, letting loose a silent roar that still seemed to make the air shake.
"In our fourth year, we broke down the barriers between the schools, joining with students from both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, alongside those of us already here at Hogwarts to survive the Triwizard tournament. It was through that partnership that I, as a fourteen year old boy, managed to tie for first place in a tournament designed for people with more time to learn and develop than I had had." Harry left out the more harrowing aspects of what that had meant. The deep terror that facing a dragon or the darkness of the lake provided, or what had awaited him on the other side of the portkey, but that didn't matter. It was over now, he was stronger for having experienced it, and he'd come to terms with what it had been.
"Then, as I'm sure you all know, in our fifth year, we faced our greatest challenge." The news had obviously spread across the wizarding world, and many biographers had claimed to have told the 'true' story of what had happened that night, although some details were never quite the same. "The Sphinx Club, alongside the Order of the Phoenix and a few great aurors, held Hogwarts from an attack by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. We stood, a bit over 50 strong against a darkness that threatened to consume us. That threatened to extinguish our light."
Harry took a moment to pause, looking at the gathered students. Friends, classmates, rivals, and strangers filled his vision as he glanced over the tables. His roommates who he, after five years had finally managed to get closer to. The numerous students he'd helped tutor. Even Draco and his cronies, the ones who hadn't sided with the Death Eaters on the day of the final battle. "But we wouldn't let them. Light doesn't shine because there is no darkness, light shines in spite of the darkness. In stalwart defiance of it. That's what we were on that day. We were a light, a torch, a beacon, held high in the darkness and telling it it would go no further. We refused to give up, refused to allow anyone to tear us down."
Harry's mind rushed back to who he was before Hogwarts, and he saw the small, sad little boy he had been. "I faced many bullies in my life. My aunt and uncle who would abuse me, the students at my muggle school who would taunt, tease, and beat me, some unnamed individuals who believed I was a lesser wizard because my mother was muggleborn, and even Voldemort himself. But one thing they all had in common, was that all it took was for me to stand tall for them to go away. With the support of my friends, I stood tall to break free of my abusive relatives to find a real family of my own. With the support of my friends, I triumphed over those who viewed me as a freak because of circumstances beyond my control. And with the support of my friends, I struck down Voldemort. For it is when we stand together that we are at our strongest. So, as we leave Hogwarts, I want you to remember that you are not alone. No matter what the world tells you, we are one people. Not to be divided. Not to be pit against each other. We may be Ravenclaws, or Gryffindors, or Hufflepuffs, or Slytherins. We may be Witches and Wizards. We may be human or elf or veela. But more than that, we are alive. We are people. We are the future of this world, and we owe it to ourselves to make it a better one. A world that is free of those who would look down on you for the circumstances of your birth. A world free of bullies who would lock a child under the stairs, or those who would see the deaths of others in the name of 'purity'. I hope, when we leave here, that you all can see the world as I do. A world united, hand in hand with a desire for a better future, where all are happy, healthy, and capable. Thank you."
Harry listened to the polite applause as he stepped down from the podium, looking to Dumbledore whose eyes twinkled ever so slightly. Harry made his way back to the Ravenclaw table, taking his seat between Hermione and Padma as he had so many times before. The awarding ceremony for those who had finished their schooling continued on, students being granted their certifications of completion and shaking Dumbledore's hand with wide smiles on their faces. Harry lightly adjusted the medal around his neck. He, and the other members of the Sphinx Club, had been instructed to wear their Orders of Merlin for the ceremony, as an acknowledgement that they had done something a little more impressive than simply graduating with high marks. After they had all received their certificates, and Dumbledore started the final feast properly, Harry and the rest of the Sphinx Club shuffled out of the Great Hall, wanting to spend their last moments at Hogwarts in the room that had defined their experience the most.
Entering the Sphinx Club room for what was likely to be the final time for most of them, Harry drifted his hand over the couch he sat on the most. It had been older when they'd first received it, but now it seemed that extra bit threadbare, as though it hadn't really been worn in until it had come to rest here.
"Sad to leave it behind, Harry?" Luna asked, turning to look at him. She would have another year here, would get to spend one more year in the Sphinx Club alongside Astoria and Ginny.
"Yeah, I am." Harry said, nodding slightly as he did so. "It's just… hard to process letting go of it. Of all the memories we made here. This is where I fell in love with all of you. Where you and I had our first date. Where every study session, exam party, and hangout happened for seven whole years… and now I'll probably never step in here again."
Luna wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a deep hug. Fleur appeared behind him, sandwiching him between them. "It'll be alright, love." Fleur said, kissing him on the cheek. "The room isn't important. The memories and connections you made here are. You'll see all of your friends from here. You live with six of us, mon amor."
"You're not saying goodbye." Susan said, as she stepped up beside them.
"You're saying so long for now." Daphne added, picking up for Susan as she gave him a sultry smile.
"We're just setting off on another adventure." Padma said, grinning from ear to ear.
"I believe your next adventure might be too much for poor Mr. Potter." Hermione said, chuckling as she gazed at him adoringly. "After all, we have a wedding for seven to plan."
Seven years ago, Harry was convinced his stomach would exit his body through his mouth because he was nervous about the future. A small, sad boy left alone at a train station wondering what would come next for him. That boy was now a man, a big, happy man who wasn't alone. Was surrounded by friends and family and ones he loved more than anything. He knew now, that whatever would come his way, whatever challenges he may face, he would not do so alone.