Harry Potter and the Year of Awakening
Disclaimer – not mine. Most of the characters and places, and the whole universe in which this particular story is set, belongs to JK Rowling.
Author's notes – This is a post-DH story... indeed, it takes off exactly where JKR left us (excluding the epilogue). Naturally, if you've not read DH, don't read this one.
This is a standalone story in its own right, but it will also be a precursor to a crossover fiction that I am developing that is set four years after the Battle of Hogwarts. That story is NOT "Harry Potter and the Awakening of Truth", which has been abandoned as it is no longer valid following the release of Deathly Hallows.
Bleary-eyed, the dark haired young man in the four-poster bed opened his eyes. Fumbling for his glasses on the bedside table, he stretched, yawned, and peered through the drapes. The morning sunlight was pouring through the narrow window, highlighting the dust in the air as only summer morning sunshine can.
To the side of the bed there was an elegant oak chair with plush cushions in the deep red colour that was present throughout the room. A half-eaten sandwich sat on a plate upon a tray on the chair. He had been too tired to finish eating it before turning in.
'How long have I been asleep?' Harry Potter mused to himself. 'From the look of the shadows on the wall, it's only mid-morning, but I must have slept for more than a couple of hours... I was so tired!'
Getting out from under the covers, he found his slippers had been placed by his bed ready for him, and his dressing gown was over the back of the chair. Kreacher must have brought them from Grimmauld Place for him – he had not seen them since September. Slipping them on, he took a few staggering steps towards the door before his muscles started responding properly and enabled him to walk normally. Passing the sink, he splashed cold water on his face and arms, ran his fingers once through his unruly hair, and headed out onto the landing.
"Blimey, Harry, we wondered if you were ever going to surface!" the voice of his best friend for nearly seven years, Ron Weasley, called up the stairs. The tall, long-nosed redhead was seated in one of the comfortable sofas by the fire in the Gryffindor common room. His left arm was draped around the shoulder of his other best friend, Hermione Granger, who was dozing lightly and looked very comfortable and... right, somehow.
"Morning, Ron" Harry greeted his friend with a smile. Felt great to be able to smile in such a carefree way – he felt it had been several years since he'd been able to. "What time is it?"
"It's half-past ten, mate... on Thursday!"
Harry thought for a moment... it had been Monday when they'd left Shell Cottage, and Tuesday evening when they'd arrived in Hogsmeade.
"I slept a whole day? No wonder I feel so rested!"
"Yeah, you missed two Hogwarts breakfasts... you must be starving! Hermione," he nudged his sleeping companion, "wake up, love – Harry's up and about."
"Harry!" she leapt to her feet, dashed over and flung her arms around him, bushy brown hair completely blocking his view of the common room.
"Er, need air, 'Mione" Harry gasped. "Still rather sore from, well, you know..."
"Oh, sorry, of course. Seems almost surreal, doesn't it, now that it's all over? I still can't believe we made it through..." she tailed off, turning to look cautiously at Ron.
"It's OK, Hermione," Ron replied. "Fred went down fighting, as he'd have wanted. It hurts, and it's not going to get much better for a while, but we all knew what we were getting into. There are always casualties in war; Fred knew that as much as any of us. The time to mourn will come, and then we'll have to see where we're at."
"What do we know about what's happening?" asked Harry, changing the subject.
"McGonagall's going to give an announcement at lunchtime," Hermione replied. "The school's pretty badly damaged, so it will be interesting to hear what's going to happen."
"Shame, really," said Ron. "We never did get to do 7th year. Dread to think what the job prospects are like coming out with no NEWTs. Of course, I could always go and work with George, but I wish there was some way we could catch up."
Hermione beamed at him. "Ronald, you really think so? I thought it was only me who was thinking that! I mean, NEWTs wouldn't be for another two weeks, but I don't think we could cram a year's worth of work into a fortnight, at least not without time-turners."
"Doubt the Ministry's replaced the time-turners yet, 'Mione," Ron replied. "They look like they'd take a bit of work to make. Plus, there's no way I'm going to spend the next two weeks revising! We're war heroes... Harry's beaten You-Know-Who, for goodness sake! We should take some time out to enjoy it."
"Well, I guess so..." Hermione tailed off again, this time catching the smirk on Harry's face. "What?" she asked, pointedly.
"You two never stop bickering, do you?" Harry smiled. "Here we are, the day after the biggest event of our lives apart from maybe the Yule ball, and you're arguing about continuing your schooling?" Hermione and Ron both looked slightly sheepish. "As it happens, you're both right. Yes, I want to do my NEWTs – I still want to be an auror, so I'm going to need them... but I'm damn well going to rest and enjoy myself for a bit. Maybe we can study at home or something – there's plenty of room at Grimmauld place for us, and I'm sure some of the staff and our friends in the Order will help us out."
There was an apprehensive atmosphere in the Great Hall when they entered it that afternoon, having eaten quietly in the common room with Ron's family and Neville Longbottom. Kreacher and Winky had gone out of their way to put on a delicious, if understated, picnic of sandwiches and cold chicken accompanied by delicious slightly warm butterbeer.
"Students, teachers, parents and friends," Minerva McGonagall tapped the glass with her wand and the Great Hall fell silent. The house tables were gone, replaced by neat rows of chairs facing the teachers' platform. The enchanted sky depicted a glorious blue sky with fluffy white cotton-wool clouds, looking almost like they'd been taken from a child's picture book. Harry, Ron and Hermione filed into their seats, Harry sitting next to Ginny and happily taking her small hand in his own. All eyes were on the acting headmistress, who was looking older and more drawn than Harry had ever seen her.
"It is with great joy that I stand before you today," she continued. "Great joy indeed, but not one without other mixed emotions. Yesterday marked a great victory; the Battle of Hogwarts will forever go down in history as the day the Dark Lord was destroyed. But yesterday was not just a great day, it was also a terrible day for so many. Let us pause for a moment out of respect for our fallen comrades, classmates and family members."
After an immaculately observed minute's silence, Professor McGonagall stepped up to the podium once again. "Do not fool yourself that the war is over. The Dark Lord's followers extend beyond the shores of the United Kingdom, and it will take time for all the loose ends to be tied up. But life will continue in all its fullness, and while there will be a time of great change, be assured that peace and light will reign supreme.
"It hardly seems right at this time to deal with business that is almost mundane, but it is necessary. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has sustained not insubstantial damage during the battle. The other teachers and I have therefore deemed it unsafe to keep students here until July 1st, as would be the norm. The Hogwarts Express will therefore be taking everyone home on Monday, June 1st. Over the weekend, we would ask that students would keep to their common rooms and dormitories wherever possible; however, in the spirit of school unity the room passwords have been temporarily removed, and you will not be required to stick to your own houses. If anyone wishes to share a dormitory with friends, the house elves will be happy to move your belongings. Simply put your name and the name of your roommate on your house notice board.
"Looking further ahead, Hogwarts will not reopen on September 1st." A shocked gasp rang throughout the Great Hall. "This will not, however, be a permanent closure. We have had some consultation as to how long the repairs to the school will take, and it is likely they will be completed by Christmas. As a result, Hogwarts will reopen in January as normal. I will be staying on as Headmistress for the year, before retiring next summer to spend my autumn years pursuing alternative pursuits.
"We are painfully aware that many students have not had a conventional year's schooling this year. As a result, anyone who wishes to resit this year's schooling may do so, or it may count as part of your schooling if you were able to attend at least part of the year. The choice is yours. I have been in contact with heads of some of the other wizarding schools, and I am delighted to say that Madame Maxime at Beauxbatons, Professor Baliakoff at Durmstrang, Principal Valenti at Salem Institute and Professor Toivonen at Valhalla Academy have all offered placements for a term to students who wish to spend a term of their studies in another country, provided they meet the school's entry requirements and have full parental consent.
"Each of these schools has a different focus to their education than Hogwarts, as those students who were here during the Triwizard Tournament will realise. If you wish to discuss your options, please see your heads of house. The other Hogwarts professors and I have agreed that we will also offer correspondence based tuition and tutorial visits to those students who wish to remain with their families. This is clearly not a decision to be made now, so please spend the next couple of days discussing it with friends and family. We would ask that initial decisions are made by the time the Hogwarts Express leaves on Monday, however.
"And now, with all the administration business out of the way, it is my great pleasure to invite up to the podium a personal friend of many of us, and the newly appointed acting Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt"
A loud round of applause filled the hall, accompanied by murmurings as the students turned to their neighbours to discuss where they would spend their next term. Harry and Ginny looked at each other and realised that wherever they went, it meant that they could be 7th years together.
"Thank you, Headmistress" Kingsley's strong baritone voice boomed over the hall. "We at the Ministry of Magic cannot express enough how thankful we are for the actions of your good selves here at Hogwarts. The events of the last few days have changed the face of the wizarding world forever. It is my duty, and also my privilege, to thank everyone who was involved in the battle, to offer the nation's condolences to those families who lost members during the conflict, and to make some specific awards to a number of key figures.
"Before we come to that, though, I feel I should update you with what we at the Ministry are doing to round up the Death Eaters. We believe that roughly 80 of Voldemort's..." there was a collective gasp throughout most of the hall "... forces have been accounted for, including almost all of his Inner Circle. With the willing assistance of Lucius Malfoy, we hope to round up the rest in the coming days. Needless to say, the aurors are working around the clock to see this task to completion."
Shacklebolt paused and gestured to the giant bearded figure of Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts' gamekeeper, who brought forward a large wooden chest and placed it on a small table at the side of the podium. Once Hagrid had returned to his seat, Kingsley opened the chest with his wand, picked up something unseen from within it, and cleared his throat to speak again.
"In my years as an auror, I quickly came to appreciate that a single great wizard is no match for a great team. It is with this in mind that I call forward four Gryffindor students who, above all others, exemplify what loyalty, bravery and teamwork is all about. I am delighted to present the following awards on behalf of the Ministry of Magic, the people of Great Britain and the wizarding world at large.
"To Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, we award the Order of Merlin, First Class for seven years of fearless commitment to the side of light. To Neville Longbottom, we award the Order of Merlin, First Class, and the Alastor Moody Award for Constant Vigilance for his sheer bravery in the face of adversity. And, last but certainly not least, to Harry Potter, the Order of Merlin, First Class, and the Albus Dumbledore Memorial Trophy for services to the school. I ask that you all be upstanding and show your appreciation as they come forward to receive their awards."
The next thing Harry knew, he was on his feet, lips moist from Ginny's congratulatory kiss, and walking towards the platform, accompanied by his three classmates. The applause and cheering continued long after the four had been presented with their awards. Somewhat uncertainly, looking at Kingsley for reassurance, he stepped up to the podium and breathed in deeply. Realising that he was about to speak, the gathered throng fell silent once again.
"This isn't about me," he began. "This is for all of us. I couldn't have done it without you. Any of you. There are some people who should be mentioned here, so I'm going to do it on behalf of Ron, Hermione and Neville, 'cos I know they want to give a speech even less than I do!" A small chuckle rippled across the Great Hall.
"I want to dedicate these awards to fallen friends. To Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks and Fred Weasley, who will all be missed so much. To Sirius Black and my parents, who were with me in spirit at the end. To Professor Severus Snape..." a gasp filled the hall "... who, while I never liked as a person, may just have been the bravest man I ever met. To Cedric Diggory, Colin Creevey, Mad-Eye Moody, Ted Tonks, and all those others who were caught in the middle of the war. And to Dobby, a humble house-elf, who gave his own life to rescue us from a very dire situation so that we could be here to fight the battle.
"I also want to thank some people who lived and fought but have not been recognised here today. To all the members of the DA, I salute you. Thanks to the Order of the Phoenix and the Hogwarts teachers. To Narcissa Malfoy..." another gasp "...who risked her own life for her son by proclaiming that I was dead. To Luna Lovegood and especially the Weasley family, who have made me feel welcome when no one else did, my thanks. And I have one final thing to say..."
"Ginny Weasley, I love you!"