An enormous amount of light shone through the giant windows of the Great Hall, where families and friends were all sitting around the tables, chatting and happy. The fifty bodies plus Fred, Lupin and Tonks had been moved elsewhere, and the body of Voldemort far away from them, as to allow the survivors of the battle to heal if injured, to reunite, and to just breathe for a moment inside the Great Hall.

Emma sat in silence with her dad, leaning into him with her head on his shoulder. Her eyes moved towards the opposite end of the Great Hall, where Draco was sitting with his parents, and as though he felt her eyes, they met. She sent him a soft smile, one which he returned. Emma nodded at him and jerked her head towards the doors. He gave her an indication that he understood.

"What are you doing?" asked her father, when Emma leaned up off him and began to stand.

"There's something I've got to do," said Emma. "Why don't you go and speak to the Weasleys' for now?"

He nodded. "I know they lost one of their boys. Poor lad. I'll go and offer my condolences," he said grimly, standing, patting Emma on the shoulder as he passed her.

Draco arrived just as Samson left, and Emma took his hand and guided him out of the doors and into the Entrance Hall, where they were met with rubble and clutter everywhere, and Mr Filch by the broken stairs trying to clear more of a path by sweeping rocks and dirt to the side.

Emma spotted what she was looking for instantly, despite the big mess everywhere.

"Aha! I thought I saw this here," she said, kneeling down to grab the tip of the hat and pull it out of under big chunk of the wall that had been broken off. "I thought that'd be easier."

Emma stood and levitated the chunk of wall off the sorting hat, and dropped it where it wouldn't get it anyone's way. She leaped for the hat.

"Why do you want that old thing for?" Draco questioned, following Emma out into the main courtyard, where it was mostly empty, and the sun was bright.

"Because," said Emma, brushing dust off the hat, "There's something I've been dying to know."

She pulled them to a stop and shoved the hat on her head, feeling it move instantly. Draco looked from the hat, to Emma, and back again.

"Didn't think that thing would still be alive after all that," Draco said, leering slightly at the sight of it.

"Of course I am!" it shouted, making Draco jump. "And yes, do hear me, will you... Ah, Miss Evans. I knew I'd be seeing you again."

Emma blinked. "You did?"

"Yes, of course... You seek what was meant to be," said the hat, in a quiet voice. "I can see that you've always known you were out of place. And you know deep down, exactly where you were meant to be, exactly what you are."

Emma thought the word in her head, to which the hat chuckled.

"Yes, Emma. You know you are a Hufflepuff. And --"

"Ergh!" Draco retched, pulling a disgusted face. "Hufflepuff?"

"Draco!" Emma snapped, sighing and rolling her eyes. "Ignore him. Go on. Did you put me in Slytherin to keep me away from learning the truth about Harry? Did Dumbledore tell you to?"

"I was bewitched to, for good reason. I am right all the time, you see. But if you had asked me to put you elsewhere, I would have. The bewitching was necessary."

"I see," Emma mumbled.

She began to wonder what her time at Hogwarts would have been like if she had made it to Hufflepuff, if her and Draco would ever become a thing, if her and Sabrina and Daphne and even Pansy would ever get along or become friends... who would her Hufflepuff friends have been? So many thoughts and scenarios played out in her mind.

"But do you see, that you wanted to be put in Slytherin?"

Draco looked up at this, a crease forming in between his eyebrows as they furrowed. Emma furrowed hers as well, and blinked in confusion.

"No, I didn't know much about the Houses."

"Who was the very first person you met who attended Hogwarts? Who was the very first person you connected with, who attended Hogwarts? A Slytherin. I can see it all in your mind. Your fears, your desires. But most certainly, your fears. You may be a Hufflepuff at heart, but you know you belonged in Slytherin."

Emma chewed her lip in thought, and she decided not to allow the sorting hat to go on anymore in front of Draco. She removed the hat from her head, thanked it, and gave it to a passerby and let them know to return it to the Headmasters office.

"We did say you were meant to be in Hufflepuff," said Draco, moving over to lean against a giant bit of debris. It wobbled slightly, and Draco shot back up, before leaning carefully against it again. He crossed his arms. "You were always too good for Slytherin."

"I wasn't always good to you though," Emma mumbled, kicking a rock across the ground. "I know that, I'm sorry."

Draco looked confused for a moment, but he simply shook his head and pulled Emma close to him by her waist. "Freckles, there were times both of us weren't good to each other. It happens. We're young, stupid things happened, and we argued over little things."

Emma felt butterflies in her stomach at Draco's hands still on her waist. She looked at him, and flushed when she saw he was already looking at her, very softly.

"Seems we've got a lot of growing up to do," she smiled at him.

"Indeed we do," he nodded with the faintest of smiles. "Want to do it together?"

"Well that goes without saying doesn't it?" she said, moving closer and leaning into him, feeling him wrap the entirety of his arms around her and placing a long kiss on her forehead.

Emma took in a deep breath, and then exhaled, letting go of all the thoughts and reels and scenarios the played in her mind, letting them drift away into nothing. Finally, her and Harry could move forward without worrying, could connect more, could get to know more. She smiled at the thought of this. Emma felt Draco's arms squeeze tighter around her.

"I'll always love you, Freckles."

____________________________________

And that is the last chapter of this story! I've started a fourth story, and I do plan to make it a short story (but oops don't be surprised if it's a long one), which I have posted! It's called 'someday', and it's set years after the battle. If you do decide to read it, please be aware that I may need to take my time, and that I'm not too sure of it, so don't be surprised if one day I decide to discontinue it or put it on hold.

I'm so sorry I took forever to update! This year has been so bad! But I'm back, and super happy to be back :) much love to everyone, and stay safe xx