CASTLES IN THE AIR

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter…that solely belongs to the genius that is J.K. Rowling

Chapter 1: Who's In Charge?

Harry Potter stood on the balcony of his Park Avenue apartment that he shared with his girlfriend of two years, Aileen Campbell. For a while now, Harry would spend the early morning hours on this balcony watching the city streets below him start to come alive He took this opportunity, one of the few he had to be alone, and reflected on the last three years of his life.

His life; it surely didn't turn out the way he had expected it. The final battle with Voldemort was worse than he had expected or had been prepared for. So many people dead, both muggle and magical, death eaters and defenders of the light; it was all so senseless.

How naïve he was to think that once the greatest scourge on the earth was gone, life would go on the way he dreamt it would be. He would go back and finish his education, openly declare his love for his beautiful and fiery redhead, and when the time was right he would ask that redhead to spend the rest of her life with him. They would live in a modest but beautiful home where they would raise their children. They would celebrate Christmases and birthdays, enjoy Sunday dinners at the Burrow and go watch Uncle Ron play in the Quidditch world cup.

However, he painfully learned that life has a mind of its own. It could not be dictated and it would force you to play out the scenes it has written for you. The injuries sustained by Ron that night brought the world crashing down. Yes, he would survive that night. But what kind of life would he live when no one knew if he would ever walk again. He could still recall when Hermione was hit with a Reductor curse and had her left arm blown off. Sometimes, when his nightmares came calling, he could still hear her screams just as clearly as he did that day.

Worst of all he never counted on the torture that Ginny would be forced to go through. In front of him stood Voldemort; taller than he expected but very much human. He would do everything he could to make sure this vile creature would never hurt another person again. He was caught off guard when he noticed three death eaters behind Voldemort that held Ginny under the Cruciatus curse. Listening to her cries and seeing the pain etched on her face was more than he could bear. Listening to Voldemort taunt and laugh at him while his servants spoke of the sort of liberties they were going to take with her made the one thing that kept Harry Potter sane finally snap.

Harry shook with anger and power. The air crackled all around him and no one noticed the eerie glow that surrounded him. He shook from the power that was building inside of him and it threatened to destroy him if he didn't release it soon. Everyone spoke about how powerful a wizard Harry Potter was but no one knew just how powerful he was until that night. Dumbledore once told him that love was his greatest power and he was right. The love that he held for Ginny was screaming for vengeance right now and it would not be denied. The laughter stopped when Voldemort finally noticed Harry floating inches off the ground. The sparks of energy coming from his eyes made him back up. The death eaters behind him stopped torturing Ginny as they stood there frozen in fear. The powerful yell that came from Harry was one that could never be described. If you were not there, on the field, during that final battle then you could never truly know how terrifying that yell was.

He raised his wand at Voldemort but uttered no words. He forced all of his magic and energy to flow out of him and hit his intended targets. Voldemort never knew what was happening. There was no taunting from Harry. He never let him know that all of his horcruxes were destroyed. The evil standing in front of him was being obliterated. Something else that Harry didn't count on was the dark magic itself. What happens to it once its vessel was destroyed? The explosion was heard and felt throughout the battlefield. A wave of dark magic hit Harry and blew him and Ginny across the field. Those that were under the service to the Dark Lord met the same fate he did once the wave reached them. Those that were able to cast shields around them were the lucky ones. So many died that night.

For the next three weeks he teetered between life and death. So many times he wanted to give in to death but he forced himself to remember those that he fought for. It was three weeks before he began to stabilize and another three before he finally woke up. Remus was the first person he saw and was relieved to see that he had survived. He sat there for the next half hour listening to him talk about those that survived, those that had been lost and those that were still recovering. He felt a wave of relief knowing that Ron and Hermione were alive but he needed to know how his Ginny was. Remus went on to tell him that she was still in St. Mungo's and was physically recovering. Mentally, she still had many hurdles to over come. Remus thought that it would be best if he waited a while before going to see her. Harry stood his ground and demanded to be brought to her and Remus saw he had no choice.

Remus helped Harry into a wheelchair and preceded to take him to Ginny. Harry was so focused that he didn't hear the people he passed by thanking him for saving them. As they reached their destination Harry smiled as he saw the entire Weasley clan there. Ron was in a wheelchair like his, Hermione had a magical prosthetic arm attached to her and everyone one else sported healing cuts or bruises…but they were still alive. He gladly welcomed Mrs. Weasleys hug wishing that he could stand up and return it with an equal amount of vigor.

Mr. Weasley knelt down in front and spoke softly to him. "Harry, I just want you to know what to expect when you see Ginny. She's not herself right now but the healers are working very hard to help her. It will be a long time before we'll get our old Ginny back but they believe that with time they'll be able to heal her."

Harry nodded slowly and tried to force a smile. "Don't worry sir, I just want to see her and let her know that we're free to live the life we've always wanted. Everything is going to be ok now because it has to be." The last part, noticed Mr. Weasley, was said with a bit of desperation in his voice. He simply nodded at the boy and allowed Remus to wheel him in with the rest of the family following.

Again, life was determined to show that it had control and things would be done when it felt it was time. Harry was overwhelmed with emotions when he first looked at Ginny. She was extremely thin and her hair lost its luster. He watched as she stared blankly out the window and pushed his chair closer to her. He reached out his hand to gently touch hers but the touch seemed to bring her nothing but pain. She screamed, cried and lashed out at him, hitting him with all her might. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley ran over and pulled her off of him. She struggled to be released from their hold. She kept screaming at him "You said you'd protect me" and every time she said that the hole in Harry's heart grew.

Harry watched as one moment she was yelling at him and the next moment she noticed her parents. Her emotions quickly shifted from one extreme to the other as she took her mother's hand in hers. "Hi mum. Can we make biscuits today? Did you know that Harry's favorite is oatmeal raisin? Can we make some of those?" He watched as Mrs. Weasley nodded yes and brought her back to the bed.

It was too much for Harry to watch and he finally broke down. He painfully sobbed at the cruel twists that life had dealt them. He never wished for any of this to happen to the people that he loved most. He realized how stupid he was to think that they would all survive without being affected by the harsh realities of war. It was too much for him to bear and he blanked out. Remus and Arthur rushed to his side while Charlie ran to find a healer. It would be another two weeks before Harry managed to wake up again.

Harry was released 2 months later and stayed with Remus in Grimmauld Place. Ginny was released a month later after the healers determined that she was well on the road to recovery. Harry decided that he would contact Ginny by owl first. He sent Hedwig along with his letter and waited for a response. It was two weeks before he received a reply but he didn't care. The fact that she was responding to him was a good sign. They continued to owl each other and at one point began to open up. It was then that they both acknowledged what they knew but didn't want to say. They both had too many demons that needed to exorcised before they could even begin to live some sort of normal life. Each one needed to accept the events of the past, figure out who they now where and learn to live.

After three months of sending owls back and forth they both realized that now was not the time for them. They would always hold on to the hope that whatever road they walked on, eventually it will lead them back to each other.

That was the last time he spoke with Ginny. He had received an offer from Minister Amelia Bones giving him an opportunity to become a junior British Ambassador to the United States. He would work alongside Alexander Campbell, the current British Ambassador. It was an opportunity that Harry grabbed eagerly. Even though he was only 20 years old, he was respected far and wide and this was his chance to begin to live again. He worked hard and learned everything there was to know about politics and how to use his fame and notoriety to push through issues he felt were important. Six months into this assignment Alexander had introduced Harry to his daughter Aileen. She had just graduated from university and was taking some time off before deciding which internship she would take up.

She was two years older than Harry but he felt comfortable around her. It was easy to talk to her and he quickly considered her a friend. He spoke to her about his friends at home and just how much he missed them. And of a certain redheaded girl who still had claim to his heart. He didn't know how it happened but a few weeks later he found himself in her bed and a few months after that they had moved in together.

He had to admit to himself that it was very nice in the beginning. He enjoyed having someone to come home to and someone to keep him warm at night. She really was a beautiful woman with a nice personality but she had one flaw; she was too ambitious. She took it upon herself to make sure that Harry ran in the right circles. She made sure that he was surrounded by very powerful and very influential witches and wizards. The excitement that he had once felt for his job was quickly replaced with resentment and feelings of being on display.

He continued to watch the sun rising over the beautiful city but he couldn't help long for the little country side that was Ottery St. Catchpole. Sitting against the old oak tree in front of the Weasley pond. It had been six months since he had written to them and he wondered how they were. Harry was suddenly brought out of his reverie when he realized that someone was calling his name. He sighed and walked back into the apartment.

He walked into the kitchen to pour himself some coffee and as he sat down he saw the door open and Aileen enter.

"There you are. Now darling, don't forget to pick up your dress robes for tomorrow night. I spoke with the tailors and they guaranteed me that they would be ready by noon. Oh and just wait until you see them. They're so regal looking." She clapped her hands together and gave a light squeal as she thought about them.

Harry rolled his eyes as he watched her. He decided that he may as well prepare himself for the argument that was about to come. "What do I need new dress robes for? I just bought three last month?"

"Oh sweetie, don't be silly. Tomorrow is the Minister's Ball and we will be amongst the elite of society. We can not have you seen in robes you have already worn. We need to make sure you make a good impression tomorrow night."

Harry sighed, "And why would I want to make a good impression tomorrow night much less go?"

Aileen was beginning to lose her patience and he knew it. "Harry, we've discussed this over and over again. Tomorrow's ball is the highlight of the social calendar. Those with political power are already discussing how you may very well be the first non-American Minister of Magic!"

Harry stood up and placed his mug in the sink. He kept his back to her trying to keep his anger in check. "I don't know how many different ways I can tell you, Aileen. I do not want to go to this ball. I do not want to be Minister of Magic and I do not want to be in a room full of people who only care about power and position. I have spent most of my life fighting against that and I'm tired." He finally turned around to face her and cut off whatever remark she was going to make. "When I first started working with your father I could honestly say that I enjoyed my job. But now, now I can't stand getting up in the morning and having to deal with all of the pompous windbags at the ministry who believe in a society where people have to be placed in certain social classes. It wasn't that long ago when I defeated a very evil and powerful Dark Lord who thought along those same lines. If the American Ministry is not careful they will have their own Voldemort to deal with and I will not be the one who will come to their rescue."

"Harry Potter, how dare you? How dare you throw all of that in my face when I've worked so hard to get you into this position? If you really feel that way then this is your opportunity to do something about it. Think of all the good you can do being the Minister, not just here in America but in Britain. You can go ahead and break down the social classes and work at making the magical community stronger. You can help other Ministries to follow your lead, a true global magical community. Wouldn't that ensure that another Dark Lord will never rise?"

Harry stared at her and began to laugh. She really believed what she was saying…well at least expected him to believe it. "I am amazed you said all of that without choking. Social classes have been in place since this country was born. Do you really expect me to believe that you would give up everything you have and everything that comes with your social position that easily? No you wouldn't so don't try to tell me otherwise."

"Uuuggh! What is going on with you Harry? Why are you now pointing your nose down at the one thing that can give you everything you've ever wanted? Everything I've ever wanted!"

Harry stared at her and then laughed. Shaking his head, "After all this time you really don't know me."

"What are you talking about Harry? I know you as well as I know myself. I know how broken you were when I met you. I know how much you wanted to know what life was all about. I know that you were desperately searching for something to balance you and that is what I've given you. You came here and you dove into your job head first. I showed you how to get around things, who to talk to when you needed to make the Ministry aware of certain things and what you need to do to get ahead. Now you tell me that you don't want any of this? Why? Why now?"

Harry sat down and took his glasses off. He closed his eyes and ran his hands through his messy hair. He took his time taking in a deep breath before answering her. "It's easy Aileen, I miss my family and I miss my home. I miss the simplicity of it all. I never wanted to be in the spotlight; that was you. All I wanted was to do my job and learn how to live my life without the worry of some maniac on a power trip trying to kill me. I miss the country life and the crooked house that is held up by magic and love. I miss being around the huge table with the mismatched chair and the ruckus that goes with it. This city life is not for me…well at least the city life you want me to have."

Aileen was furious and was now nose to nose with Harry. Her eyes were blazing. "Harry, changes don't come over night. Do you honestly think that you can go back and things will be the same way you left it? Do you think you are remotely the same person they remember? You can believe whatever you want to believe but you will go and pick up your new robes and you will attend the ball tomorrow night. I have worked too hard to get you to this point and you will not just push all that aside. I have been there for you when you needed someone and now I need you to do the same for me. If you don't want to do it for me, then do it for my father who thinks of you as a son! Think about what people will day if he's there and his assistant isn't." And with that she stormed out of the kitchen and out for the day.

Harry watched her leave and he quietly said to himself, "Changes come faster than you think Aileen."

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AN: This is a short (about 3 chapters) story that has been in my mind all weekend. I had to just write it and I hope you all enjoy it. Please take the time to hit that review button on the lower left side of your screen and tell me what you think.