Seventeen years. Seventeen long and arduous years had passed since the Battle of Hogwarts. There had been years of joy, yes, but many years of pain and sorrow cast a black shadow on the good. After the Battle of Hogwarts, several Death Eaters escaped and began to build their power. Using some of the same tactics and rituals Lord Voldemort had used. So many lives were perished in the years after the battle. The Weasley family had been the first to fall victim to these new evils. The family line had nearly been destroyed when The Burrow was attacked on Christmas Eve in 1998.
That attack came just seven months after the final battle, a group of Death Eaters, led by, of all people, Madam Malkin's son Elton. Mr and Mrs Weasley were both killed, along with Ginny, Ron, Bill and Charlie. George had been away, dealing with running the new expansion of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, opening in Hogsmeade at the start of the new year. George had felt that having a shop in Hogsmeade would raise spirits, with everyone reeling from the battle.
Being the only surviving member of the family, George made the decision to tear down the Burrow, using the materials to construct a new home for his budding family with Angelina Johnson. In a small alcove inside the front door of what they dubbed "The New Burrow", to this very day, remains a well-kept memorial to his fallen family.
Next to fall had been the Longbottoms. Neville sat beside his grandmother as she passed onto the next great adventure shortly after the final battle. The strain brought on by fighting was too much for the old battleaxe of a woman, and she passed peacefully. Before she passed, she was able to tell Neville how proud she was of the man he had become. Neville was made Head of House Longbottom shortly after. A year to the day of his grandmother's passing, Neville was murdered in Longbottom Manor. He was poisoned by a bottle of brandy with a compulsion charm attached to the bottle. His last thoughts were of his fiance, Luna, and the heartache she would endure.
The Lovegood household was never the same after the death of Neville. No matter what he tried, Xenophilius could never get Luna to be cheerful again. Just two months after Neville's death, Luna Lovegood died of what some say was a broken heart. Distraught over the death of his daughter, realizing that there was nothing at all keeping him around, Xeno renounced his magic and became a muggle, moving to a monastery and devoting his life to becoming a monk.
The last to fall had been the Grangers. After the war, Hermione traveled to Australia to restore her parents. At first cross with their daughter, they understood and accepted what she had done and returned home. Things would be back to normal for a few years until the accident. Jean and Eric Granger were killed in a car accident 3 years after the end of the battle. A drunk driver hit them head on, killing them instantly. After all that Hermione had endured, the death of her parents to something so... mundane pushed Hermione to delve into darker subjects of magic, the likes of which eventually overtook her existence. Hermione Granger became lost to the magicks and became the terror known as Asema Onyx. Asema quickly became the next Dark power bent on taking over the world. She led what was left of the Death Eaters and Dark creatures of all sorts, terrorizing not only Britain but the entire world until she was defeated when Harry Potter killed her in a duel 16 years after the final battle.
What of Harry?! You ask? After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry worked with the Ministry clearing corruption and beginning to turn the major of Wizarding Britain towards the future. Things were not easy for Harry Potter though. The deaths of his friends at the hands of the Death Eaters weighed on him heavily. He had not been able to protect the others. Added to that was the sorrow of having to kill his former best friend and the loss of life of so many others, Harry Potter decided that enough was enough. He unleashed Hell upon any and all remaining Death Eaters, killing all but five of them. Those that survived were stripped of all of their assets, their wands were snapped, and they were tosses through the Veil. Harry personally saw to this, throwing all of them through it himself.
After the slaughter of the Death Eaters, Harry disappeared from the Wizarding world, woth no contact with anyone. One year later, on the 17th anniversary of the final battle, Harry Potter made his return to the Wizarding World. He walked into the Great Hall of Hogwarts during breakfast. The chatter of the students quickly died down as the doors opened on their own accord with a loud bang. The man that walked through the doors was disheveled and tired looking. He slowly walked towards the Head Table. He had a very noticeable limp. He stopped just in front of the table and looked toward the Headmistress.
Minerva McGonagall looked down from her seat at the head of the table with weary eyes.
"Who are you? Why do you disrupt this breakfast? How did you get passed the gates?" Said McGonagall, her hand tightening around her wand.
"Minerva, I am disappointed that you don't recognize one of your favorite students." He said. His voice was hoarse.
McGonagall peered closer and saw under the disheveled face and long hair a scar. It was shaped like a lightening bolt. Minerva gasped.
"Harry Potter?!" She whispered.
The rest of the head table gasped when she spoke. Could this man really be Harry? Again, Minerva spoke a little louder, so others could hear.
"Harry Potter?!"
The man nodded and smiled. He raised his wand to his throat. The students began murmuring and whispering to each other, on edge for what the man would do.
"Soronus" And for the first time in almost a year, Harry Potter spoke to the Wizarding World.
"After a year of soul searching, I have come to the realization that everything that I had in this world is gone. I wanted to thank all of you for teaching and molding me into who I am. I have made my peace with this world. I will be going now, and you will never see me again. Know I love all of you. Please, do not search for me, you will not find me. I will be okay."
With that, Harry Potter turned on the spot and disappeared with a small pop. The students began talking aloud in wonder. How had he done that? You aren't supposed to be able to apparate through the wards. Many students wrote home about what had happened. Eventually word got to the Daily Prophet and an article was written. Word had spread about the words Harry Potter had said. People searched for him, but no one found him. Harry had disappeared. Never to be seen or heard from again.