A/N: Hey there. So I've decided that I am going to tie up the loose ends I was uneasy with after reading Deathly Hallows. I was also displeased with the epilogue, so that may be subjected to change. Here is what I would have liked to happen.
By the way, I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters created by the brilliant J.K. Rowling. I'm thankful that she created them though… I get to use them as a creative outlet. Lol.
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Chapter 1: Guilt
With a quick nod to his two best friends, the dark haired wizard strode quietly into the Gryffindor common room, thankful, that they understood his need to be alone. He had endured all the excitement that he could for one night, and intended to finally have a good night's rest.
As Harry Potter lay in bed, he absently took out his wand and ran his fingers along its familiar ridges. He was relieved that the Elder Wand had been able to restore it; other wands had just not been the same.
He waved the wand fondly, watching as it omitted a number of red and gold sparks, much like it had in Ollivander's shop, seven years ago. It felt as though it had been centuries since he had first stepped into Diagon Alley. And now, here he was, lying safely in bed, the war over. He was, however, one of the lucky ones.
So many had died over the past seven years. Dumbledore, Fred, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Hedwig, Mad-Eye, Colin Creevey and many others, even Snape, were dead. The feeling of loss was so strong, that Harry had no reaction to express it. No tears would come, and no feelings of anger were present either. He simply felt old. Old and hollow.
Harry longed to speak to Ginny, and yet, he did not want to at the same time. He wanted to celebrate with Ron and Hermione, and yet, he wanted to give them some privacy to celebrate alone. He wanted to congratulate Neville for being one of the bravest, most loyal people that he knew, and yet, he did not. He wanted to do so many things, but the feelings were hitting him so strongly, that he merely wanted to escape into a restful sleep.
Sighing tiredly, Harry stashed his wand on the nightstand beside him. He would have plenty of time to come to face with everything tomorrow, but right now, he was perfectly content to ignore it in favour of sleep. Glancing at the blankets at the foot of his bed, Harry grunted lazily and decided, instead on covering himself with the invisibility cloak, which lay a mere foot away.
His last coherent thought as he pulled the cloak over his body, was that the hawthorn wand poking out of his pocket was a little uncomfortable.
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Harry awoke, with the invisibility cloak covering him completely, to the sound of a couple conversing. They obviously thought that they were alone because they made no effort to hush their voices, and spoke in a conversational tone.
"-said she would take care of poor Teddy, no? I theenk that 'e will be just fine."
"Yes, I think so too. Not just Mum, we'll all look out for him. Where is he right now, by the way? With Andromeda?"
"Yes, I theenk so. I theenk that zey left him with Tonks's muzzaire."
"That's good, I'm glad that he's in good hands."
A long pause, followed by a sigh was heard. Bill's mind was miles away.
Fleur's tattered robes shuffled softly as she embraced her husband comfortingly.
"Oh Bill. I know zat it is 'ard, since your brother is gone, but we 'ave all of the time in the world to grieve. 'E-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is gone now and we can finally celebrate and start a family."
Bill tensed, before relaxing minutely into his wife's embrace. There was hesitancy in his voice when he spoke again, "Yes, you're right. We should celebrate right now, shouldn't we?"
"Yes, celebrate. Zey did not die fighting, so zat we would all mope around wishing zat there had never been a war. Zey did it to fight for a future worth living. We will, of course, pay zem the respect zat they deserve, at their funerals, but, we will also continue to live and make zem proud!" She said, her voice softening. "They would want zat, Bill, especially Fred. 'E was not the type to, ehm, wallow in 'is misery?"
Fleur's words hit Harry like water being doused upon a sleeping person's head. Her words lifted some of the weight from his shoulders, making him feel incredibly aware. No, she was right. He was not meant to be miserable, to continue blaming himself for the many deaths that occurred. He was meant to make their deaths worthwhile. Although she could not see it, Harry a grateful smile in Fleur's direction.
As Fleur and Bill's method of celebration became clear, however, Harry grimaced and quietly retreated to the common room to allow them some privacy.
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Harry entered the common room to find families all huddled together, in scattered masses of sleeping bags, all of whom were both too tired to apparate back home, and too unwilling to part from their children who they might have lost mere hours ago.
Sleeping nearest the fire, was most of the Weasley family, with their bright red hair sticking out of a jumble of patched up turquoise sleeping bags. Mr. Weasley had an arm draped loosely around Mrs. Weasley, who had her arms wrapped tightly around George. George looked as though he had cried himself to sleep. Right beside them lay Ginny and Charlie, who was snoring loudly. On the couch nearest the fire, Ron and Hermione lay curled up together, looking more peaceful than Harry had seen in awhile. Percy was not present, though he had been welcome; a turquoise sleeping bag lay open and muddled, and it was evident that Percy had been in it.
Harry stood staring at the empty sleeping bag for awhile, lost in his own thoughts. He understood exactly what Percy was feeling. Guilt.
He had abandoned his family as easily as he had the sleeping bag, for the better part of three years. To finally come to his senses only to have one of his brothers ripped mercilessly away from him must have been absolutely horrible. Harry had no doubt that Percy was sitting by the body of Fred Weasley, mourning.
Harry did not wish to comfort Percy though. He knew that it just took some time alone, to come to grips with reality. As he thought of Percy's guilt, however, Harry knew that he also had to deal with his. He would not be able to move on with his life until he did.
Careful to remain silent, Harry snuck out of the Gryffindor common room and into the night. "Lumos," Harry whispered, holding up his wand.
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As Harry made his way through the halls of Hogwarts, he felt none of the danger and excitement that he had, previously. It was strange and surreal, knowing that no one would reprimand him, or try to harm him, though he was out late at night. Voldemort was gone and the worst of the death eaters were either dead or on the run. In a way, it was saddening, knowing that his biggest adventure was over and he could breathe easy. He liked challenges. His whole life had been one.
Harry heard voices coming from the entrance hall. Four robes figures stood there, arguing in hushed voices. Hand tightening around his wand, Harry drew closer.
"I really do not see why our son must come with us," Came Narcissa Malfoy's voice, with restrained hostility.
"All three of you are required to undergo questioning about your involvement with the death eaters and You-Know-Who. You will all be brought down to the Ministry for judgment," Hestia Jone's voice explained impatiently.
Harry was only feet away from the group now. In the pale moonlight and dim light from the Malfoy's and Hestia's wands, he could make out Draco's face. He looked terrified, his grey eyes wide, seeming to cover an abnormally large portion of his pale, gaunt face.
"Isn't there some way we could go without Draco? We do not want him subjected to Azkaban as he has done nothing," Lucius Malfoy said crisply.
"No one innocent will be sent to Azkaban. We do, however, want to completely bring an end to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's battle," Hestia replied.
Narcissa's eyes were filled with tears. She knew what Draco would lose if he was sent to Azkaban. He would lose the little innocence that he had left. She would not let that happen if she could stop it. "Please, I will vouch for him, but I do not want him to be sent to Azkaban or to see anyone else being sentenced! He is only a boy," She pleaded.
"Harry Potter is only a boy and yet, he saved the wizarding world and has achieved things far greater than most. Age is of no importance in the matter. He was heard crying out that he was on the side of the Death Eaters by one of our aurors, and as such, he will be questioned unless he is vouched for by a member of the Order of the Phoenix, or someone with proof that he was on the side of the light." Hestia informed them with an air of finality. "Please come with me or I will be forced to call the aurors waiting outside that they can take you by force, for questioning."
He did not know why he did it, but Harry quickly pulled off his invisibility cloak and called out to the auror, "It's okay Hestia. I'll vouch for him."
Shock was the only thing that registered on all four of the faces before him. Finally, Draco seemed to find his mouth, "Potter?!"
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A/N: This will be a multi-chaptered fic, of course. So, what did you think? All feedback is greatly appreciated. ) After all, it is reviews that prove that the work of writers are not going to waste and thus motivates them to continue writing. ; )
Cheers!
-Serpentilia