Loose Ends

A New Final Chapter for Deathly Hallows. What happens after the trio leave Dumbledore's office?

References "Hermione's Worst Nightmare" Helpful but not necessary to read this fic. If you haven't, Mare-Go Potion was taken by Hermione while at Shell Cottage to stop her nightmares after the torture.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all the characters, situations, places mentioned in this fic.

A/N: I just wanted a little more for our trio at the end of the book. In this case, I found Harry deserved a little more treatment.

Chapter 1: Exeunt

Harry, Hermione and Ron slowly left the headmaster's office together, leaving behind all those portraits of former headmasters that watched them with admiration. They had done it. They had defeated Voldemort. It had not been a one man show, this was a team effort and they knew that their isolated time together on the run was now at an end. Everything was going to change—for the better. After the wizarding world began to rebuild, things most certainly would get better.

They were uncharacteristically quiet and thoughtful as they closed the door. Harry had relayed all the information he had learned in the pensieve to his best friends. All had some thinking to do. He had removed Snape's memories and replaced them in the jar. He hid the container inside his invisibility cloak that he held in his hand. They descended the rotating stairwell and entered the hallway. Harry looked around. It was strangely quiet. They were alone, no eyes watching them. He turned to his two best friends and stopped. He took a deep breath and just looked at them. They had given up so much for him that he felt speechless, but he knew he had to find words to tell them.

"Guys?" he shook his head and cleared his throat, stalling for a bit of time as he tried to figure out how to start. "Before we go back into all that," he motioned in the direction of the Great Hall. "Before all those people come at us again…I'm not that great with words. Even if I were, I don't know how I would ever be able to tell you how much you two mean to me. Everything you've done is amazing. You're the best people I know." His mouth flattened in a straight line, trying not to lose control now that everything was truly beginning to settle in.

"I know it was hell at times. I know I was an arse too, sometimes. It scared me how much he could get in my head, and I know Hermione, you wanted me to work on the Occlumency, but it was how I also knew what he was doing, and I needed to know despite the hell it put me through." He laughed a moment, "Can you imagine if I took that Mare-Go stuff. You'd be cleaning up the floor for days with the number of nightmares I've had."

Ron nodded in agreement and then exchanged a look with Hermione and smiled at her but remained silent. They both knew nightmares could have a good outcome.

"I'm just trying to say, there is no way on earth I could have gotten to this point without you both. They are all patting me on the back, calling me a hero for killing him. But, you two are mine. I love you guys, I really do. You are my family. I'll make sure they know how much a part of this you are."

Ron shifted awkwardly but his eyes were starting to get wet too, despite trying not to show it. Hermione had begun crying almost as soon as he started speaking. She moved forward and grabbing both Ron and Harry around the shoulders and pulled them into a triangular three-way hug. The two men resisted slightly and then fell in step and they each bowed their heads into the centre, their foreheads meeting, knowing this was the last quiet moment for them to share together. They pulled apart slowly and began walking back towards the Great Hall.

"We aren't looking for accolades, Harry."

"Me neither, but they seem to be putting it all down to me. I just did the end bit."

"Just? Bit?" Ron questioned. "Not exactly a bit, mate. I couldn't have stood up to him, I know that," he said shaking his head.

"Me neither. He is so frightening looking, intimidating. I would not have been able to stand facing him. You destabilized him, Harry, you. You do deserve the recognition. And it's alright, it's the way it is supposed to be," Hermione said. "You may find that the rest of the people need to have a hero, need to put their relief and thanks in one person who... "delivered them from evil".

"Whoa!"

"Harry, you know what I mean. It is human nature to need to target emotion, both bad and good. Before it was anger, fear, hatred. Now it will be relief, gratefulness, happiness even. They will see you as directly responsible for that since you were the one to take away what blocked all of it, Voldemort."

Harry shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He wasn't sure he could deal with this misplaced admiration as far as he was concerned.

Another mother's wails could be heard from the Great Hall, dampening any further jubilation. Now, everything was sinking in. "Everything is going to change now, isn't it?" said Hermione. She echoed sentiment from just after Voldemort had returned to human form. This time though, it was a positive assessment of the situation. Yes, people had died, but freedom was just around the corner again. She smiled at Ron privately. She received a wink in return.

"Yes," Harry nodded and smiled as he remembered the comment. They kept walking somewhat numbly. Ron broke the silence.

"Do you think they'll accept us back to finish 7th year next year?" The other two looked at him in shock. "What? Gotta get on with life, move forward, make some plans. Actually, just living normally would be nice if that's possible," he said as he looked at the ruins of his surroundings. Then he exchanged a knowing look with Hermione.

"I expected that from her, but from you? Who are you, and what have you done with Ron Weasley?" Harry said astonished.

Ron shrugged and smiled. "I don't know. Maybe I've finally come to appreciate this place a little. Well, not Divination," he winced.

Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed. "I must be rubbing off on him, finally." She grabbed his hand and kept hold of it as they walked.

Harry noticed the closeness between them. "It's about time, you two. It's about time. That's all I'm going to say. That and it looks like you don't have to wear a flack jacket anymore, Ron!" He was thinking of Hermione's reaction when Ron had returned to the after Christmas.

Hermione took a swipe at Harry playfully. "Maybe you do!"

Harry laughed and a smile stayed on his face as they continued on. He was so tired. "Do you think I could get my old bed back? They probably gave it away to some 1st year kid. Maybe I could get some sleep on the couch in the Common Room."

"I don't think they'll let any of us get sleep today," Ron replied.

"Uh, Harry, I think you had better decide what you will tell people. Then let us know how much to reveal. People will start asking questions. You can see it as they look us. They are itching to know more, to have answers. I won't say anything until you decide," Hermione said.

"Yeah, me neither, mate," said Ron.

Then, as they turned the corner, they saw the wreckage of the castle and the horrors of the night came back to them in full force. Ron pursed his lips, thinking of his dead brother Fred, and equally of George left alive without his twin and partner in crime. Hermione looked at him and read his mind. She squeezed his hand, willing strength into him. Their grief was interrupted by Professor McGonagall as she strode towards them.

"May I have a moment of your time?" she asked quietly. Her voice was hoarse and the old woman looked exhausted with grief and responsibility.

"Of course, Professor," Harry replied, uncertain what to expect. Ron and Hermione moved away to give them some degree of privacy in their discussion, but waited for Harry at the end of the hall.