I don't own Harry Potter.

Please let me know what you think - this is the last chapter of this story, and I'd like to know what you think. Please leave constructive feedback, and if you truly don't like this story or this chapter then don't read it.

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Harry Potter: Thinking like a Thief.

Harry appeared at the Ministry of Magic a few days after killing Dumbledore. From what Harry learnt Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick, alerted by McGonagall who'd burst into their rooms and told them Dumbledore was dead, and the wards had been passed over to her, making her the new Headmistress; the three horrified professors had immediately raced to the Headmaster's suite, fully expecting to find a Dumbledore who had died peacefully in his sleep, but instead found a corpse with a bullet wound.

Horrified the professors immediately summoned the DMLE to investigate. While Harry was concerned by what the Aurors could find out, he wasn't worried anyone would connect the dots, and realise he was the one responsible. In any case, it would not matter, after all since he was planning on leaving the country for a few months before he came back.

As he expected there was a lot of panic as he showed the guard his Holly and Phoenix feather wand and was told where the NEWT exams would be held, once he was passed that point he overheard a number of witches and wizards debating about who had murdered Dumbledore.

"It must be a Death Eater!" A wizard nodded his head decisively. "Who else would commit such a cowardly murder? One of them must have been behind it."

One of the witches wasn't convinced. "But how did they kill him? From what I've heard, the DMLE haven't found a single trace of magic, nothing that identifies the killer."

"Well, who else could it be?" The wizard demanded.

"But how did they get inside Professor Dumbledore's rooms?" Another wizard asked thoughtfully. "I remember enough about Hogwarts to know the castle's wards are ancient, neigh impregnable. How could anyone get inside without a word?"

Harry continued on his way, refusing to listen to any more stupid questions or statements. Instead, he focused instead on how lucky he was when he had received the letter from Professor Marchbanks who'd been good enough to give Harry the time and date of the NEWT exams and where they would be held. The letter had already made it clear to him there would be other students attending, the home-schooled students who had come for their final exams. Harry didn't really care. It just made life easier for him and if anyone saw him they would realise what he was here for, thanks to the glamour spell he had cast on himself. Thanks to the directions contained in the letter and a few questions addressed to older wizards, Harry found it extremely simple to get to the Department of Magical Education.

When Harry reached the Department of Magical Education, he saw the other students. A quick count showed there were only fifty-seven of them. All of them looked healthy and they didn't look like they were poverty-stricken. He knew thanks to his research that after the end of the last war, there had been a handful of new births - not many, but some - because the parents were scared of being targeted by Voldemort and his cult. He looked around, recognising only a handful of kids from Fred and George's year, but there were a few faces he didn't recognise.

He didn't care.

He knew this was going to happen.

There were quite a few people out there who didn't like what Dumbledore had done to the educational standards at Hogwarts with the piss poor tuition, the joke that was the constant shuffling of the Defence post with a new teacher taking over the job each year, Snape's terrible attitude and bullying nature which had shattered so many dreams that it would take the new Potions Master years to repair the damage Snape had done. To this day, Harry still smirked at how Dumbledore was forced to confront the truth about Snape, that the greasy Death Eater had never repented and never felt any guilt, never mind the fact he had lusted rather than loved Lily Potter, and how Dumbledore's platitudes he trusted Snape implicitly were empty because of the lies Snape had told him.

Two seats ahead of Harry, he overheard a conversation being held by four kids.

"I'm grateful my parents made sure I wasn't sent to Hogwarts. Their fears about the shoddy tuition were right," a boy was saying.

"Me too," a girl agreed.

"I still can't believe Dumbledore was stupid enough to tolerate the yearly changes in the Defence teacher, and how he allowed that filthy Death Eater to bring down potions like that," another girl commented with a shake of her head, her confusion and her lack of true experience with Snape as clear and as plain as day on her face. "I lost a small number of my cousins because of those scum. There was no way my parents would let me go to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, you're right. Hogwarts shouldn't have had Death Eaters in the teaching staff. My mother always told me Dumbledore was soft, but there's soft and there's stupidity. What surprises me is nobody did anything," a boy remarked.

"They did," the first girl rubbed her face with a sigh. "My uncle is friends with Amelia Bones and a member of the St Mungo's Board of Directors. They've been frustrated and worried by the lack of new applicants from Hogwarts for some time now, and the ones who do apply don't have the necessary knowledge in Defence spells or potions that are NEWT or OWL level. That's why many retired Healers have been brought out of retirement by St Mungo's, but they've been pressuring Dumbledore for years to stop Snape, or at least rein him in. But it clearly didn't happen. My uncle tells me it will likely take years before Potion and DADA standards return to their previous level. The only young applicants getting in are those who have had private tuition."

"Maybe so. I had a Spanish potions teacher, and I can tell you straight she disliked Snape. She acknowledged he was a brilliant wizard, but a shit human being."

"He was a Death Eater," the second girl said like it should be obvious. "What do you expect?"

Harry believed she had a point.

"Why do you think Professor Dumbledore ignored the clear fact it's only home-schooled students who get better grades than they do at Hogwarts?" The second boy asked. "I just don't get that."

"My parents were in Ravenclaw at Hogwarts. They had heard stories from their parents about how Dumbledore deliberately got rid of a number of classes and electives. Enchanting. Alchemy Theory. Duelling. Magical Languages. Healing Basics and Healing Practicals. And that is only a few. They were so disappointed they made sure I wasn't sent a Hogwarts letter when I was eleven," the second girl piped up.

Harry knew about what Dumbledore had done. He had heard how he had pressured Armando Dippet, the weakling lackey who was Headmaster before he took power at Hogwarts, into dropping the classes. As the years passed fewer and fewer people joined the classes. Nobody knew why Dumbledore wanted them shut, but Harry had the feeling the old wizard wanted them closed because they were advanced and he didn't want a more powerful wizard taking the top role from him. It was egotism, that was it. But it wasn't until Dumbledore became Headmaster that he cancelled the classes for good, but by that time the damage was done.

"Do you think McGonagall will bring them back?" One of the boys asked.

"I dunno. I doubt it unless of course one of the educational reformists puts enough pressure on McGonagall to force the changes. There was a lot of outrage when the classes were dropped, and demand for them to return has only grown over the years. They might have lost some of their popularity a long time ago, but they are important subjects, and enchanting has many applications, to say nothing of how important Healing can be. St Mungo's has been putting pressure on Dumbledore to reinstate the classes for decades, but he's refused. Things might change now," the second girl shrugged.

Harry smiled privately to himself. Perhaps a lot more good had come out of murdering Dumbledore after all.

"I don't know about that," one of the girls said before they had to be silenced when the exams began. The start of the examination was not too different from how Marchbanks and Tofty began the OWLs at Hogwarts. For the next 4 hours, Harry sat carrying out the theory tests in Transfiguration, Potions, DADA, Ancient Runes, Herbology, Charms, and Magical Languages and Healing.

X

That evening Professor Tofty and Professor Marchbanks were sitting in one of the offices of the Department of Magical Education, speaking with three of their other colleagues. All of them were amazed.

"It has been a long time since I was amazed by anyone who attended Hogwarts, Griselda," Tofty whispered. He was an ancient wizard and he seldom spoke too loud to converse his energy.

"I know," Marchbanks shook her head. She had seen many young wizards and witches who had been good, but it was rare for them to find one who was as good. Marchbanks had tested Albus Dumbledore, and even Dumbledore had his limits. He had been terrible with Herbology and he'd be the first to say he only had a fair knowledge of Herbology theory, and he was useless in Arithmancy, and his knowledge of Ancient Runes was excellent but he wasn't a genius, but he had been phenomenal with Transfiguration, Potions, DADA, Charms and a host of Magical Languages. Only a few students like Tom Riddle, who had vanished mysteriously when he gained excellent results in both his OWLs and NEWTs had come close.

Another of note was Lily Evans before she had gone off to gain her masteries and an apprenticeship as a Charms Mistress, a Healer, and a Potions Mistress, and this was before she even married James Potter. It was rare for some people to gain apprenticeships in more than one field, but three was incredible.

Marchbanks had been awed and fascinated by Lily Evans' drive. The girl had been incredibly intelligent, desiring knowledge, asking questions and seeking out new ones from not only her peers, her professors, but from others. Marchbanks had learnt from long experience the stupid lies about Blood supremacy were nonsense, especially since she had seen many muggle-borns go on to have great careers or were driven to achieve more masteries than some purebloods. To her, it was a fact the disease that wizards like You-Know-Who espoused was utter nonsense. She had even gone on to know Lily Evans, not as well as she would have wished, but she had been impressed by the young woman's ambition and drive, and her courage.

But as she looked at the results she had no doubt, that Lily Evans and Marchbanks had no doubt if she were alive today, would be overjoyed by her son's achievements.

Tofty seemed to be reading her mind. "It brings back memories of Lily Evans, doesn't it?"

"It does. I can't wait to see the results of his practical tests."

"Well, we'll need to wait for the practicals. It's only a week away," Marchbanks said.

"I know you're not going to like this, and I know you two had the greatest of respect for him, but Dumbledore had a lot to answer for," one of the other wizards in the office commented. "Thanks to his tenure, we had few people with Potion OWLs or NEWTs, and some of the other results were not great either. It didn't help matters he had that Death Eater in his inner circle."

"True," Tofty grimaced at the mention of Snape. "But this is the best news I've heard. For a long time, so many young wizards and witches have been seeking private magical education, tutors, that sort of thing. This might be the ticket to getting Hogwarts back to its former glory."

"Mm, I only hope that Minerva is up to the challenge of bringing some of the closed courses back. There's been a lot of pressure over the years for the need for enchanters," Marchbanks observed with a shake of her head. "I will never understand why Albus made sure that course was banned."

"The public was told that several enchanting theories were dark. So many people agreed, but it was mostly because of his defeat of Grindelwald. Lies, all of them. The reason Albus got rid of the class is that he didn't want anyone to be better at it than he was," Tofty whispered with a mocking sneer at Dumbledore's ego.

Marchbanks was old enough to know there was more to Albus Dumbledore than the carefully crafted facade he had put up for the entire world so she knew where her long time friend and colleague was coming from. She knew her old friend and colleague was telling the truth and he was right about Dumbledore and his twisted ego. "I don't know how much luck we'll have with Minerva. But it's possible Dumbledore didn't tell her the reasons for the abolitions of those courses."

"Are there any more students from this years round who have come close to Potter's level?" One of the other examiners asked.

"One or two will have really good OWL results. Nothing too great. A muggle-born girl called Hermione Granger," Marchbanks trailed off slightly as she looked at the notes, "will get 12 OWLs, but the problem is the girl seems to copy everything from books. That is not going to help, aside from her, Susan Bones, Daphne Greengrasss, Blaise Zabini, and only a few others have noteworthy results."

"What do you think Potter will do after the NEWTs?"

"I doubt he'll come into the Ministry, not after what Fudge did and what Umbridge was accused of doing. But I hope he'll do incredible things."

X

Harry smiled as he walked through the door to the restaurant in Covent Garden. He had found this little place a while back and he had to admire its charm and its location. He had spent a few days while he was waiting for his exam results looking around London for a decent restaurant, one where the reviews were wonderful and the service was amazing, so he could celebrate the finalising of his exams and his time in Britain, for now.

The trouble was there were dozens of places in London where he could have gotten a memorable dinner. But in the end, he had been drawn to a little Bistro in Covent Garden. After giving an order for a steak and mash potatoes with vegetables, and an ordering of cider, Harry sat and reflected on the last couple of weeks. He had known the name Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests was a good and apt name, but going through them was putting a whole new spin on the definition of Exhausting, he was still recovering from the long hours of writing and using his magic.

When his meal arrived, Harry thought through his plans. Now the exams were done and he had gotten his results after patiently waiting, he would travel the world. The ticket was booked. He was heading to Barcelona in the morning, and he planned to travel through Europe and then into Asia before finishing his tour in America.

Harry delicately cut a piece of his steak and popped it into his mouth, relishing every taste and bite as he thought through his plans. He was just going to travel the world (maybe?) and he would enjoy what life had to offer him. Now Voldemort was dead and Dumbledore was no longer a factor or a threat out to get him, he could finally have a decent life. It would be a while before the surviving Order of the Phoenix members should receive word on his results, but he wasn't worried. With Voldemort and the Death Eaters dead, the Order likely saw no reason why they should stay in operation; it was only Dumbledore's charisma (or his bullying, Harry recalled how Winky had reported to him how determined the old wizard was that night to keep them together) that the Order hadn't disbanded. But with the old wizard dead, and no obvious threats on the horizon anymore, it was pointless for the Order to still be around.

And even when they learnt about what he was doing, Harry would be long since gone. He had recently come into possession of an amulet designed to track anyone linked to it, and it would tell him if there were any members of Dumbledore's Order following him, but Harry wasn't sure if they'd bother now since his strategic importance was now in doubt.

Harry decided to push all thought of the Order out of his mind. It was time for him to think about his future and his life. He wasn't going to think of a bunch of fools. He was going to enjoy his meal, and he was going to get an early and hopefully good night's sleep before he left for Barcelona.

X

It was the 1st of September, and Professor McGonagall was getting ready for the new year of the term. The first day of a brand new term was always a hard one and it was always an administrative miracle she was able to pull through it, but luckily for her Minerva McGonagall was a born administrator, and her career at Hogwarts had only given her a great deal of practice, but this was the first year where she would be the Headmistress at Hogwarts.

The old witch was unsure how to take the new job; she was still shaken by the memory of the loss of Albus, unable to understand how anyone could murder such a kind old wizard, who had thought the world of others and only wanted to help despite his somewhat manipulative qualities. But even he didn't deserve such a cold-hearted death.

As she worked, she was surprised to receive a letter. Strange, she wasn't expecting anything. The owl didn't stop for an owl treat or water, it just flew out. Its job done and dusted. McGonagall picked up the letter and, by old habit, flicked her wand at it to detect any spells on it, remembering only too well how she had nearly been killed by a former student turned Death Eater who had been forever bitter when she refused to punish the Marauders after they'd pranked them, resulting in the death of an unborn child. The spell had very nearly killed McGonagall, and so she had learnt from her mistakes.

There was no spell. It was safe, but she continued to fire off scanning spells, but there was nothing wrong with the letter. Once she was finished Minerva flicked her wand again to open the letter, and she began to read. As she got to the halfway point, McGonagall's eyes widened in surprise when she read the news that Harry Potter had, surprisingly, gotten 15 OWLs and 17 NEWTs, and he had withdrawn from Hogwarts with the note he planned on being the notification.

McGonagall was annoyed and astonished that Potter had sent the note at the last minute, and that came second to the discovery of just how well he had done in his exams. It shouldn't even have been possible, the boy - according to Hermione Granger - was a bit of an idiot, but she could now see that definition was totally wrong. She truly didn't have a clue, not a single clue, about what she was going to do now with this information.

For ten long minutes, McGonagall was shaken and unsure of what she should do next, but she forced herself to continue reading through the letter, and as she did she learnt that the boy had arranged to have the letter sent at the last minute mostly because he wanted to continue lulling those who still wanted to use him for some stupid cause into thinking he would still be attending Hogwarts, but now he was away from Britain, no-one could meddle in his life anymore. The formality of the letter surprised even her, but Minerva knew there was nothing she could do; the results of his exams had been kept secret by Potter's personal request, but the sheer number meant nobody would be able to force the boy to return to Hogwarts, and he didn't need it.

McGonagall sighed as she wondered what Dumbledore would have thought.

X

The Order of the Phoenix members was surprised when they received the news about how Harry Potter had left Britain with such high exam results. It took the Weasleys by surprise since they had planned to dose Harry Potter up with love potions so he would marry Ginny, so they would gain access to the boy's family vaults. But now that was looking increasingly unlikely. Still, they planned to keep an eye for further opportunities.

X

As he stood on top of the Eiffel Tower, Harry stared out over the beautiful city. At this time of day before the evening, the sun was casting a beautiful light of various colours over Paris. He had arrived in Paris only today and he had gotten himself checked out in a good hotel with plans to go out and explore the city and even a few towns in the next week. Harry briefly wondered how the Order was taking his departure, knowing some of them had plans and ideas of taking what was his, but he decided it didn't matter anymore.

In a few months, he planned on visiting Asia, where he would begin looking into getting his masteries into magic. He knew it wouldn't be entirely hard. All he would need to do was to find a decent master in a certain subject and show them what he could do, and then hopefully he would be sponsored for mastery or a series of them. Harry wasn't impressed by the system, but there was nothing he could do about it.

For now, he would enjoy himself, although he was tempted to return to Britain after he robbed the casinos in Las Vegas.

X

Finis.