Harry Potter

Rebuilding Bridges

Chapter One - Rebuilding Bridges

Harry had forgotten what it feels like to lay down and just do nothing. As he lay there, many thoughts raced through his mind. Thoughts of his journey and his friends, of his future and his past, and of his victory. Had it been worth the loss of all those he cared so much for? It had...but that didn't make the reality of it any easier. This, he thought, was why he did not lay around and do nothing. There was too much to think about and grieve over. The fact that he was laying in Sirius's old bed in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place wasn't helping the matter. He needed to do something...keep himself busy. Harry got up and went to the kitchen where Kreacher was rustling about.

"Kreacher, would you care to make some dinner?" said Harry. He sat down at the dining table and watched as Kreacher went shuffling through cabinets. Harry had only just got back to Grimmauld Place this morning and didn't yet know what to do with himself. He had stayed at Hogwarts a few days to help with cleaning and repairs. After that, he had gone to stay at the Burrow. He knew the Weasleys would need as much help around their home as they could get. The Weasleys were the closest thing he had to a family, and the loss of Fred hit all of them hard. Even Percy, who Harry (and the rest of the Weasleys for that matter) thought had always been the biggest prat of the family, had no downing remarks to bark at anyone. Harry had stayed at the Burrow for about two weeks. But Harry felt his presence had been more of an intrusion than helpful. He had decided this morning that it was time to come back to what would be his new permanent home at Grimmauld Place.

Harry was jerked out of his thoughts by a whoosh from the fireplace. He looked up and was surprised to see Hermione. "Hey Hermione! I didn't know you were back yet!" said Harry with the happiest tone he had used in weeks.

"I only just got back today," said Hermione. "I stopped at the Burrow first, thinking everyone would be there, and everyone was, except for you of coarse, Harry."

"Well, let's hear it. Did you find your parents okay?" asked Harry eagerly.

"It took a bit of fancy work but I managed alright," said Hermione, joining Harry at the table. "I tried explaining the situation at first, hoping maybe they would simply remember on their own but that only complicated things...so I just reversed the spell and explained everything. They weren't happy."

"I wouldn't think so," chuckled Harry. He was surprised he still had the ability to laugh at anything. "Are you hungry?"

"No. Thank you, though. Anyway, I came to talk about something else, actually," said Hermione, repositioning in her chair. "What do you plan to do now, you know, that everything is over? I'm going to write Professor McGonagall and ask her if I can go back to complete my seventh year. I suggested the same to Ron but he said he wasn't sure yet."

"I dunno. I hadn't really thought about it, to be honest," said Harry, shrugging.

"I think we all should. Its really important we complete our N.E.W.T.S.," said Hermione in the most Hermione-ish way possible.

"I dunno. I'll have to give it some thought, I suppose," said Harry, leaning back in his chair. "It almost feels like there's nothing really left to do, you know? Its like my life had all been building toward that one moment...and now what's left to do?"

"I understand how you must feel, Harry," said Hermione. "But finishing your education is the first step in any direction from this point."

"I suppose so," said Harry. Kreacher shuffled over and put food on the table. "Are you sure you aren't hungry? He made enough to feed a whole Quidditch team." Harry shoveled a huge gob of food into his mouth.

"Yes, I'm sure," said Hermione. "I ate at the Burrow. You know how Molly likes to cook when she's upset."

"Yeah, believe me, I know," mumbled Harry, swallowing his food. "I think I've gained a whole hippogriff these past couple of weeks."

"Do you think they'll be alright, Harry?" asked Hermione. "I know they miss Fred so much."

"We all miss Fred, Hermione," said Harry. "We all miss everyone we lost."

They sat in silence for a moment which was only interrupted by Harry's eating.

"Well, I should probably get back," said Hermione. "I've got that letter to write to Professor McGonagall. I'll see you really soon though, Harry"

They both got up. Harry gave her a hug and then she left through the fireplace. He went back into Sirius's old room and unpacked his things. He had decided his godfather's old room would be his own. After he finished unpacking, he fell down onto the bed and welcomed his subconscious.

The next morning brought a surprise in the form of Ron and Ginny. They were waiting for him in the kitchen when he awoke.

"Hey, mate," said Ron.

"Hi, Harry," said Ginny, grinning.

"G'morning," mumbled harry, who had not fully woken up yet. "Whatter yootoo doinere?" Harry yawned and stretched.

"Mum reckoned we ought to bring you some breakfast, since you're all by yourself," said Ron. "I was going to tell her you'd be fine, but saw it as a chance to get out of there for a while. They're all mental, mate. I'm just as sad as the rest of them, but I think they really are going mental."

"Especially George," said Ginny.

"Yeah, I know," said Harry, his eyes finally adjusting to the light. "We're all sad, but I can't imagine how George must feel."

"Not good," said Ron.

No one spoke for a moment. Harry contemplated a thought and then decided to act on it.

"Listen, Ron, I know you came to get away for a bit, but do you think I could have a little time alone with Ginny?" asked Harry. Ginny's eyes beamed at this. Ron, however, sort of snorted.

"Come off it, mate," said Ron. "Do I have to go back? Can't I just go upstairs or something?"

Harry could not hide his grin.

"Well if its that bad I guess you can just wait upstairs a bit then," said Harry. "But don't expect me to rush this just because you're up there with nothing to do."

Ron disappeared from sight mumbling something about not giving his blessing. Harry sat down next to Ginny and he simply stared into her eyes for a moment. He thought back to all the wonderful but short lived times he'd had with over a year ago. It felt as if an eternity had passed since those near-perfect days at Hogwarts.

"I hate to break up your daydream Harry, but did you ask Ron to leave just so you could stare at me?" asked Ginny.

"N-no," said Harry, now snapping back to the present.

"Are you sure?" asked Ginny. "For a moment there I thought you might start poking me with a stick. We can take you to the zoo if you want."

Harry laughed. Everything just felt so right when he was with Ginny. He had not found a suitable time to talk Ginny at the Burrow, as all of the grieving that was going on. Now, as he had Ginny alone, he would take the opportunity to spill his feelings.

"Listen, Ginny," began Harry. "I know I've been the poster boy for bad boyfriends. I left you as the world was crumbling down. And I know that's when you needed me most. And believe me, I would have given anything for it to have gone differently. I would have much rather stayed to keep you safe while some other "chosen one" went and fought Voldemort. But that's not the situation I was given. I was the only one, and I knew it was the only way to keep you safe. But I thought of you every day that we were out trying to destroy the Horcruxes. I never knew what was going to happen to me, so that's why I never told you the whole truth. And the truth is....I love you. I loved you even then, when I had to let you go. And now that we are all safe, I can tell you, without worry, how much I truly care about you." Harry felt a wet drip fall down his cheek. They sat in silence for what felt like years. "I understand if you have moved on or just don't feel the same anymore. And honestly I can't say I blame you if that's the...." Ginny interrupted him.

"Harry Potter!" yelled Ginny. "Why in Merlin's name would I want someone else? Every night I layed in my bed at Hogwarts, wandering if you were still alive! And what's worse...knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do to help or protect you! You want to talk about truths? I have waited for you since I was eleven! Yeah, I've had boyfriends. But I've said it before! I never really got over you!" Tears were now flowing from her eyes. "The most truthful thing I know is that I love you, Harry. I've loved you since I was eleven. And yeah, you've put me through hell. But I understand, even as much as I detest it, that what you did saved me even more...saved us all even more agony than the agony of you leaving me. But that's part of why I love you Harry."

Both of them had managed to stop their tears. They stared at each other for several seconds. It might have been moments. Harry was not sure. He decided to break the silence.

"So I suppose that means you'll have me back, then?" said Harry, with a smile.

Ginny laughed, then got up and walked over to him. She grabbed his face and kissed him like he had never been kissed before. Harry wished this moment would last for all eternity. It was the happiest he'd been since those days with Ginny at Hogwarts. Just then he heard the stairs creak.

"Oi!" yelled Ron. "Easy with the snogging! You're going to rip her lungs out through her throat, mate!"

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Ron and Ginny both spent a lot of time at Grimmauld Place the following days. Hermione had dropped in a few times as well. The most recent of which she had told them Mcgonagall had accepted her request to complete her seventh year at Hogwarts.

"You two should both go back," said Hermione, who now sounded impatient.

Harry and Ron had both been trying to weigh their options, and for Harry it seemed that there was no other real option but to go back. He needed his N.E.W.T.S. to become an auror. Ron, however, had been thinking of sticking around to help George run Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Ron knew the absence of Fred was going to make it extremely difficult for George.

"We know, Hermione," said Ron, sounding equally as impatient as she did.

The days that had passed at Grimmaud Place had been generally relaxing. Harry enjoyed spending time with Ginny and Ron. Hermione had been pleasant for the most part, except when she would lecture them about returning to Hogwarts. It was the most relaxed Harry had been in a long time. Harry had been enjoying the passing days. On one particularly good day, Harry got an unexpected visitor.

Harry was sitting at the dining table with Ginny and Ron when a whoosh escaped the fireplace and none other than Kingsley Shacklebolt, the newly appointed Minister of Magic, stepped out. Harry jumped up and nearly spat out his tea.

"Kingsley!" shouted Harry. "I...I didn't know you were coming. I'd have tidied up the place a bit."

"It's quite alright, Harry," said Kingsley. "I've just got some extremely good news and I wanted to tell you personally. Shall we sit?"

"Of course," said Harry. He and Kingsley sat at the table with Ron and Ginny. "So what's the good news?"

"We've have just held a meeting to vote," began Kingsley. "and it was almost a unanimous decision." Kingsley sat staring at them with a smile across his face. " We have agreed to offer both you and Ron auror positions at the ministry."

Harry looked confused, while Ron stared with his jaw hanging open.

"But how?" asked Harry. "We haven't got our N.E.W.T.S. yet."

"We are aware of this Harry," said Kingsley. "But you have faced dangers that none of even our senior most aurors have faced. We have agreed that you both are equally qualified, if not even more so, than a wizard who has completed his schooling. So the jobs are there...if you want them."

"Of course we want them!" said Ron., finally speaking though his voice cracked. "Right, Harry?"

"Well...yeah," said Harry. "It just sort of seems too good to be true, though."

Harry then looked over at Ginny and saw she did not wear the same expression of excitement that he and Ron had. Harry wandered why she wasn't excited as well. Then it came to him. She would be a seventh year as well. She had been looking forward to spending the school year with him. Harry thought hard for a moment and then spoke.

"Actually, Kingsley, I think I'd feel more secure in my ability to be an auror if I could finish my last year at Hogwarts first," said Harry. At that exact moment Ron made a noise that sounded like he was coughing up a blast-ended skrewt.

"What?" yelled Ron. "You can't be serious, mate. Why in the name of Merlin's saggy left....oh...OH!" Ron looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny and seemed to figure things out. "Really?"

"Yeah, I think so," said Harry.

"Are you sure, Harry?" asked Kingsley.

"Yeah...I'm sure," said Harry, nodding his head.

"And what about you, Ron?" asked Kingsley. "Will you be joining us?"

"I...well....I could...well I mean," stuttered Ron. He looked at Harry as if hoping he'd change his mind. But he saw Ginny's smile and knew Harry would not be swayed otherwise. He seemed to droop his body in his chair and sighed. "I guess another year of school would get us better prepared."

Kingsley looked back and forth between the both of them.

"And you are both sure?" asked Kingsley.

They both nodded.

"Very well," said Kingsley. "Just know that whenever you decide to join us, you will have a job without hesitation." He sat silently for a moment. "Well, I suppose I should get back. I have a lot to do." He got up and headed to the fireplace. "I hope you all have a good term. Ron, send your family my regards." And with a whoosh of the fireplace he was gone.

Ron stared at them both for a moment.

"You're completely whipped, mate," said Ron.

"Oh, shut up, Ron!" yelled Ginny. "Are you really going back for me, Harry?"

"Well...yeah," said Harry. "I don't really have any other reason to go back. But I saw how sad you looked, and I just couldn't do it." Harry was sure he heard Ron murmur something about being mental.

"Hermione would have talked you into it anyway," said Ginny, sneering at Ron.

"Yeah...I suppose you're right," said Ron, conceding defeat.

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The rest of the summer was spent together, sometimes laughing, sometimes grieving. But a real sense of renewal had set in. Even George, who had changed the most of everyone, was nearly back to his normal self. Mrs. Weasley was cooking far less. And Percy had gone back to being a prat though, to his credit, not near the prat he once was.

Several days had been spent playing Quidditch in the pitch at the Burrow. So much that even Hermione had started to become a decent flyer. Harry had been made Gryffindor's Quidditch captain again and was excited to do something so normal. Harry had wandered if Ron and Hermione would get to be Head Boy and Head Girl, but when their school letters arrived, they had not. They all assumed that students from Ginny's year had been appointed the positions.

Harry had spent his birthday at the Burrow as usual. Mrs. Weasley had, once again, gone to lengths far beyond what Harry had expected. He got a good haul of presents from everyone. They had all just left the dining table when Ginny pulled Harry into her room.

Harry looked around. It was exactly as he had remembered it from exactly one year ago. Ginny was apparently still a fan of both the Weird Sisters and the Holyhead Harpies.

"I'm having a slight sense of deja-vu," said Harry. "I feel like I've done this before." Harry smiled and Ginny laughed. "I vaguely remember something about a silver lining...or something like that. Didn't really make much sense. I think the girl was mental or something."

"Yeah...that was the general idea," said Ginny. "I think something else happened too. If I recall correctly...it was something like this."

Before Harry could say a word she had wrapped herself around him and was kissing him. Harry figured there was no point in arguing it so he kissed back. They stood there, embraced, for several minutes. Ginny finally backed off slowly.

"Happy birthday, Harry," said Ginny.

"It definitely is now," said Harry.

"You're funny," said Ginny, giggling to herself.

"Really?" asked Harry. "I tend to think you just laugh cause I'm mental."

"I never said you mean to be funny," said Ginny, sitting down on her bed. She gestured for Harry to join her.

"You'll just never know, I suppose," said Harry, who sat down beside her.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other lovingly for a few moments then Ginny broke the silence.

"Harry," said Ginny. "Are you sure you want to go back? I hate being the reason you're doing all of this."

"I'm positive," chuckled Harry. "I want you to be happy. If that means I've got to go through another year of school...then so be it. Plus, we're going to get loads of time together this year. We'll have a lot of the same classes and everything. Its really sort of exciting, isn't it?"

"You're sweet, Harry," said Ginny. "And yes, it is very exciting. Thank you...for everything."

"You don't have to thank me," said Harry. "I really did it for me just as much as I did it for you. It'll be nice to have a school year with no one trying to off me."

"Still," said Ginny. "Thank you."

"Well, I suppose you're welcome then," said Harry.

Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry and brought her head over his shoulder.

"I love you, Harry," said Ginny, as the single tear on her cheek was lead astray by her smile.