With Dumbledore and Voldemort gone for good, life for the Potters lost most of its stress. The new Potions teacher was fair and taught well, removing another source of stress. The Slytherins, without Snape's backing, became just another house. While some were still bigoted, they kept to themselves, fearing the punishment for behaving as had been normal when Dumbledore and Snape set the tone.
Ron quickly distanced himself from the Potters, although not fully willingly. Since both were very serious about their studies and he could no longer drag Harry away from it, he looked for other students who weren't as serious and spent less time with his former best friends.
Harry wasn't quite pleased with that, but he thought it was Ron's choice, after all. "We're here to learn and study. Fun is nice, of course, but only in addition to, not instead of studies. Ron doesn't see it. That's a pity, but I shouldn't neglect my studies due to him. In my position, I should try my best," he explained to Hermione, who fully agreed.
Neville, though, was quickly replacing Ron as their closest friend. After his binds were removed, Neville's achievements in class soared dramatically. He wasn't as good as Hermione or Harry, but had very close grades overall. He only surpassed the Potters in Herbology, as expected.
The three friends used to study together in the library and in the Potter apartment. Eventually, Hannah and Susan joined them. Harry had a feeling that both girls wanted to become close to Neville just as Hermione was close to him. He wondered if they could both succeed. In any case, he was sure Neville would enjoy it.
Harry was more surprised when Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini asked to join their study group. "You're Slytherins! Why would you like to join a group of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs?"
Daphne shrugged. "We don't mind the houses. You're the best students in our year, as a group, and we can gain the most by studying with you. I'm also very good at Potions, so I may also be able to help you, occasionally."
"And I excel in Charms, almost as good as Lady Potter, so I can also help," Blaise added.
They were welcome to join, of course.
–..–
By the end of the third year, the Potter study group had grown to also include Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw. It only missed a Hufflepuff boy to be fully balanced, gender wise. The group proved very productive, advancing all its participants to the top of their classes. Hermione, Padma, and Daphne had already been at the top, but Neville was surprised to find himself second only to the Potters among the Gryffindors, as was Susan when she found she was the top among the Puffs.
In contrast, Ron barely passed. Only due to massive help from Ginny and the Weasley twins he managed to pass most of his tests, and even that was while scraping the minimum. Harry doubted Ron could even reach his OWLs if he didn't drastically change his attitude to learning.
..
The rest of the school years passed as they should, with nothing too dramatic and no unusual dangers. The Potters were made Prefects in the fifth year and then Head students during the seventh. With no life threatening adventures to distract him, Harry got as good grades as Hermione, only lagging slightly due to his less legible handwriting.
Hogwarts was also changing. With the influence of the dark faction diminishing, the new directors were more than willing to upgrade the syllabus and add some badly needed subjects to help magical-raised students in merging with the much bigger Muggle world and to teach the Muggle-raised about the traditions and customs in the magical world. At least some of them had deep roots in magic and were more than merely outdated prejudices.
With the wards back in their intended setting, the school became the safest place in Britain, as Dumbledore had previously claimed unjustly. No dangerous creature or dark artifact could be brought to Hogwarts. This aggravated Hagrid, but then Charlie Weasley made him aware of a position at the dragon reserve. Hagrid moved there and seemed to be very happy with his new job.
..
Sirius Black resumed his life as a free man, but didn't seem to grow up. He was still a Marauder, a prankster and a jokester who never treated anything seriously. The Potter couple found him to be a lot of fun, but only for short visits. When their children started learning some pranking from 'Uncle Siri', his visits at the family were strictly controlled and he was told in no uncertain terms that the Potter children would not be taught pranking. Ever. That didn't prevent them from learning quite a bit by themselves, of course.
Sirius continued to 'sample the goods' for many years until no young woman found interest in him. Older women never did. At least he was serious about his political role, helping the Potters and their allies move Magical Britain (closer) to the modern era. When he became tired of politics, after he no longer found any willing young woman to spend the night with, he tried to pass his position to Harry, who declined it. Sirius eventually passed his position to Teddy Lupin, the grandson of Andromeda Tonks, nee Black, who was already married with children by that time. Sirius retired to a tropical island owned by the Black family and spent the rest of his life there. Supposedly, he found enough young women there to keep him entertained.
..
Neville married Hannah soon after graduation. A very pregnant Susan served as the matron of honour. All three went on a honeymoon. Hannah was also pregnant when they returned. The three continued to live as a family, only Susan stayed Bones and her boy would inherit the Bones title. Nobody questioned their arrangement, and nobody considered Susan any less due to her unusual relationship.
..
Ron failed his fourth year at Hogwarts so thoroughly that Minerva wouldn't even agree to let him repeat the year. No number of Molly's howlers would change her mind. She even explained the matter to Arthur, when he managed to come alone to talk to her.
"Ron has never put any effort in his studies. He passed the first two years mainly due to Harry and Hermione spoon-feeding him all he needed to know to barely pass the tests. He distanced himself from them after they bonded and completely stopped doing homework or studying in any form. It would be a total waste of gold to pay his tuition for another year. You would do better using it for something else."
"But he may lose his wand rights if he doesn't pass OWLs!" Arthur protested.
"Make him study at home, then. Don't waste your gold on a lost cause."
Arthur sighed, recognising the truth in her words.
Later in life, the Potters learned of what happened to Ron after his expulsion when meeting Ginny after a game of the Holyhead Harpies, where she played. "Mum tried to teach him at home but Ron refused to learn. She even sent him to Aunt Muriel who sent him back a day later, stating, 'He's unwilling to learn anything. I no longer consider him my nephew.' Then, when he didn't even try to test for OWLs, he got his wand snapped. Dad forced him to find a job, but Ron proved unwilling to follow even the simplest instructions. I wonder how one can be a genius at Chess and such a failure in everything else. He eventually got into a quarrel at Knockturn Alley and was badly stabbed. He died at St. Mungos a day later."
They were sorry to hear that, but weren't surprised. The way Ron used to behave was no wonder that he ended up that way.
..
The other Weasleys succeeded quite nicely in life. Ginny followed in the Potters' steps, becoming a prefect in her fifth year and Head Girl in her seventh. She also played Quidditch, becoming the captain of the Gryffindor team after Harry. She was offered a position with the Holyhead Harpies as soon as she graduated and played for a few years until she found the love of her life and got married, eventually raising five children.
The Weasley twins opened an owl-order business while still at Hogwarts, gaining themselves enough gold to open their dream shop less than a year after graduation. A year later, they married their girlfriends since the fifth year, making very happy families and a successful business that eventually opened branches in other countries too.
Charlie surprised his family when he came for a visit with a very pregnant young witch at his side. "This is my wife, Mariana. She's also a dragon handler. We've been together for a few years already and we decided to marry when we felt the need to have children."
Molly was unsure if she needed to hug him dearly or reprimand him for getting married in secret. Eventually, she did both.
Surprisingly, Percy acted similarly. After graduation, he joined the Ministry. With no Death Eaters and with the dark faction mostly de-fanged, he could prove himself without fearing his family's stigma. Two years later, he proposed to his girlfriend, and they got married almost a year later. It took two more years for them to start enlarging the family, eventually telling Molly only when Penny was already in the third trimester.
Molly was worried for Bill. His job at Gringotts was repeatedly putting him in danger, and he didn't seem to even think of settling down. It all changed when he was sent to Paris to help the local branch with some cursed items. He met there a young witch whom he felt a connection with and they soon became a couple. Molly frowned at the "Frenchy" but eventually accepted her when she brought her a granddaughter.
..
Molly Weasley had a dilemma when none of her children was still living at The Burrow. She was bored. The house was clean. She needed to cook only for herself and Arthur. She had nobody else to care for. It was driving her crazy.
And then she heard about a small restaurant whose owner felt too old to still keep it. She was surprised to find that she could afford the price. With no children at home, Arthur's salary, which had also increased since the cleansing of the Ministry, proved large enough to put aside a bit each month. These savings were almost enough for the full payment.
Once she took over, she could resume enjoying cooking for appreciative diners. It was a small place, barely larger than her kitchen at home, but the income it brought was close to what Arthur brought, occasionally surpassing it. Molly was happy.
..
Professor McGonagall headed Hogwarts for many years, making it into a real bastion of studies and education, something her predecessor could never do. Under her leadership, Hogwarts became a modern school that prepared its students for life on both sides of the magical barrier.
She only retired when she realised that she was going to get two pairs of Weasley twins along with a Potter prankster while still having Teddy Lupin at school. That was way too many pranksters to endure. Her successor, a much younger wizard, would have to handle that.
Minerva continued to visit the Potters for many years, until shortly before her death. As a visitor, some minor pranks on and around her were alright.
..
When Harry and Hermione celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary, they were surrounded by their children, their grandchildren, and quite a few great-grandchildren, all of whom were happy for their elders, all living in peace and prosperity.
Hermione looked around her and tried to remember how she had felt all those years ago, when everybody considered her a bookworm. She smiled internally and turned to kiss her husband. He could still make her heart flutter with his lopsided grin. Both were happy.
The End