Harry, Ron, and Hermione were stepping into to the Gryffindor common room. It was vacant. "I'm going to bed. 'Night" said Harry, with a small smile at the end. Ron and Hermione said goodnight and sat together on a couch. As Harry walked slowly up the spiral staircase, his friends looked into each other eyes and hugged. Harry could hear Ron crying. The door closed behind Harry. The room was destroyed. Beds, tables, clothes, everything the D.A. had left all those months ago and never went back to get were strewn amongst the rubble from the hole blasted into the wall during the Battle. Harry sat down on one of the remaining beds and stared down into space, thinking. It was over. Finally. He'd fulfilled his destiny; Voldemort was finally dead. Harry supposed he should feel good about this, but vanquishing the Dark Lord wasn't as uplifting as he'd thought it would be. He knew the world was much better off without Tom Riddle, but they'd lost a lot of good people: Fred, Lupin, Tonks. And perhaps the one that scared him more unusually, was he'd heard Neville say that Colin Creevey had died as well. Harry was too tired to deal with these emotions right now, his heart ached too much. The door opened, and Ginny walked in. She, just as the rest of them, was sporting torn clothes and wounds. She closed the door and smiled at Harry. Harry didn't even attempt to smile and Ginny's fell from her face. Tears slowly fell from Harry's eyes. He made no sounds, but slowly and silently he was crying. Ginny walked over and sat down next to him, putting a comforting arm around him. She didn't need to ask. They sat that way for awhile, until Harry was crying out loud, his head buried in his hands and Ginny was the one crying silently. His body was shaking.
Harry: "They're dead. They're all dead. Fred. Lupin, Tonks." He couldn't say Colin's name.
Ginny: "It's doesn't seem fair does it. Good people... are gone. But it wasn't for nothing, Harry. They died to help make this world a better place. Because of you, because of us, it is."
Harry: "I just wish I could've saved them."
Ginny: "Fred would've been proud to go out this way. He was weird like that."
Harry laughed.
Ginny: "And Tonks and Lupin, it wasn't your fault they died, but you did something that they'll always appreciate: you saved their son.
Harry: "Colin died."
Ginny: "Well, he would've been happier than anyone knowing he helped Harry Potter."
Harry looked at her, and like Ron and Hermione down in the common room, they hugged each other, and held on tight.
