The Aftermath of a Stressful Life
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I do not own the rights to Harry Potter, this story is only for entertainment purposes, and I am in no way receiving money for this story. All rights to JK. Rowling.
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Light broke over the grassy hilltops with a golden glow. Small beads of dew glistened in the sudden arrival of light, making the ground look like a sea of molten glass. Harry Potter watched with a dull feeling in his stomach. He thought of Fred, Lupin, and Tonks. And his eyes started watering. A noise came from beside him and he started. "Hey mate, you alright?" asked Ron. Harry didn't want to answer, he knew of all people to be upset, Ron and the other Weasleys were on top of the list. "Yeah I'm fine, just thinking about the funeral. I'm not sure I can handle much more." Harry stood up and walked over to the bed and sat down, looking Ron in the face for the first time in days.
Emotion was leaking out of Harry faster than he could take. He had to say something. "Ron...all the deaths...Fred, Lupin, Tonks. All of them are my fault." Harry looked down at his feet, feeling ashamed of the hot tears now falling on the floor. Ron stood up and walked over to the bed where Harry was sitting. "Harry, none of this is your fault. Thanks to you, Voldemort is gone! The deaths, disappearances, all of it is over now thanks to you!" Ron paused, looking grateful but bitter. "And whats more, you were honored at Fred's funeral. Nobody thinks its your fault mate, you've been moping around for about a month now, be happy that you finally ended all this for good."
With a look out Ron's window, Harry decided it was time to get ready for the day. Both boys were changing when Harry stopped and realized that Ron always kicked people out while changing. The thought made him look over at Ron and ponder why he didn't mind anymore. "Hey, why are you staring at me." Ron asked, looking slightly nervous at what he was thinking. Feeling himself flush, Harry turned away quickly and denied the fact that he was watching Ron change. "Nothing, I tho...I saw...nothing I just...there was bug on your underpants." lied Harry. Ron eyed him with suspicion before going back to changing. "Oh, Harry I forgot. Hermione is gonna be getting here in about an hour." Harry understood the look Ron gave him after saying this.
A few days after the battle, Ron and Hermione officially became a couple. The news was received warmly by everyone, except Harry. Hermione went on a week journey to Australia to retrieve her parents and take off the memory charms she had put on them. During this time, Harry was treated to an endless rant on how perfect she was by Ron. The news of this couple made Harry feel extremely lonely. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find any interest in Ginny anymore. The thought of being with Ginny gave him unpleasant feelings. Now that he thought of it, the thought of being with anyone right now was unpleasant. Not able to stall anymore, he ventured downstairs to meet with the family and wait for Hermione to return.
About half ways down he ran into Ginny. They locked eyes for a second, and Harry was surprised to see something that looked like pain in her eyes. As she turned to walk away, Harry put his arm on her shoulder. "Ginny, I'm sorry okay? After the war, I thought about everything. Me being with you wont be good for either of us." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Everyone see's me as this hero, and I get so much attention for it, and I will for the rest of my life." A tear fell down from her eye. "I don't want you to be constantly hounded by the people wanting my autograph." Harry knew that this was for the best, he has given it a lot of thought over the past few weeks. He wouldn't want his family to deal with everything he had to deal with. He wished he could just forget everything that happened, and wished everyone would do the same. He was so deep in thought, that when Ginny spoke, he had to tear himself away from his thoughts. "...after all that." he heard her say. He nodded as is what she was saying made sense. "Well, uh...we should really be downstairs." said Harry. She nodded in agreement, and together they walked down to the kitchen, where the sound of clanging forks and spoons had already started.
As he entered the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley gave him a hug that clearly showed he was welcome. "Harry dear, is everything alright?" she asked, looking concerned. "Yeah, uh...just great." Harry said, trying to be convincing. He smiled weakly at Mrs. Weasley, who smiled back and made a space on the table. "Sit down Harry, I'll fetch you a plate." she said, already hurrying around the table, piling on food. "Oh, no thank you Mrs. Weasley, I'm not hungry right now." he told her. She looked around and said, "Oh don't be silly dear, you must eat." Not in the mood to argue, Harry took a seat next to George. "Good morning George." Harry said. George looked at him in surprise, then nodded. Harry looked at him, feeling immensely guilty. He knew how George must feel. Harry was an expert in losing loved ones, but at the same time, this was different. The way Harry thought of it, Fred and George were always seen by many as one person. But Harry wasn't getting treated differently than everyone else. George hasn't said a word to anyone since Fred died.
Harry thought back to the battle, thinking of everything that happened. And to the woman he owed his defeat of Voldemort to. He knew why Narcissa Malfoy had lied to Voldemort, but she could have easily said he was still alive. What would have happened after that, Harry doesn't want to think about. One person pops up in Harry's mind whenever he thinks of Hogwarts, and that person is Draco Malfoy. Harry cant help but feel sorry for the boy. Even though they have been enemies since their first day at Hogwarts, Harry understands that Draco was shaped to be exactly what he became.
Harry was shook from his thoughts by Mrs. Weasley handing him a plate piled high with food. As he began eating, the kitchen door opened and in walked in a flustered Hermione. Everyone gave their greetings to Hermione and continued eating. But before she said anything in return, she walked directly to Harry and said meaningfully, "Harry, we need to talk." Harry eyed her suspiciously. "What's the matter Hermione?" he asked. Before she could answer, the kitchen door opened again. Harry didn't see who walked in the door, but before he looked he saw both Ron and George jump up and pull out their wands. Thinking of Death Eaters, Harry sprang to his feet, pulling out his wand while doing so, and was shocked to find himself face to face with a scared looking Draco Malfoy. "No! We cant be fighting!" shrieked Hermione. "Ron, put you're wand down!" Harry looked around at Mrs. Weasley, who was observing the scene.
Their eyes met, and Harry wordlessly pleaded with her to stop this. "Malfoy, whats a slimy ferret like you doing in my house." sneered Ron, holding his wand threateningly close to Draco's neck. Draco thought a moment before answering. "Nothing that would concern you, weasel. Trust me, I hold no pleasure in staying here longer than necessary." Harry's mind was spinning. Not knowing what to do, he simply stood there with his wand arm limply at his side. George took a step toward Draco and pointed his wand at his chest. "Get out of my house, Malfoy." said George. There was a darkness in his face that Harry had never seen before. Draco was looking George full in the face. "Don't you dare tell me what to do. I almost regret getting myself involved with this sob stor..." Before he could finish, George punched him in the mouth with his wand free hand. "Don't you dare insult my family Malfoy! Crucio!"
Draco's screams echoed around the small kitchen, rooting Harry to the spot. Before he knew what he was doing, his wand was directed at George. "George, stop it, let him be!" shouted Harry, dreading what would happen if George didn't stop. Harry might have not even spoken, as the intensity of Draco's screaming reached a point where Harry's heart started beating at an astonishing pace. Harry glanced around helplessly, and saw blank stares from the rest of the family and Hermione. Feeling hopeless and hating what he had to do, Harry directed his wand yet again at George. "Stupefy!" Harry shouted. A jet of red light burned its way across the kitchen, hitting George square in the neck, who was blasted backwards, slamming into a wall and falling to the floor. Harry dropped his wand in shock of what just happened. He looked around and saw his shock mirrored on the other faces in the kitchen. "What in the bloody hell have you done Harry?" asked Ron shakily. Harry didn't know how to answer this. He wished he could just leave the scene and pretend nothing happened. Something had to be said. He took a deep breath. "Ron, he just used an unforgivable curse. If the ministry finds out about this, hes going to spend his life in Azkaban. I couldn't just let him torture Malfoy." he said somewhat defensively. Harry looked over at the rest of the Weasley family and Hermione, still standing in shock. And at that moment he remembered about Draco.
Walking over to him, Harry saw the boy curled on the ground, moaning in apparent pain. Harry bent low over him and saw a deep gash on his arm. "Mrs. Weasley, can you come over here, Draco needs help." he said quietly. She looked over from her spot next to George. "Ron, get George up to my bedroom, and lock the door. Harry dear, give me a moment." she mumbled. She stood up shakily and walked over to where Harry and Draco were, leaving Ron, Hermione and Ginny to George. "Mrs. Weasley, look at his left arm. I think he tried to get rid of his dark mark."