Waking up from a nightmare

Harry woke up from a terrible and very realistic nightmare. In his dream houses were on fire, people were screaming in anguish. He tried to put out some fires, but it seems to be Fiendfire and no spell he used would work on the flames. Flashes of blue and green lighted the scenes for seconds in the distance, and the shadows of Deatheaters moved silently from house to house on a raging killing spree. He could hear the pop of wizard dissaparating. He felt petrified by the fear of his own inability to stop them. Then he too felt the familiar sense in the gut of apparition and with a long deep breath he woke in the Gryffindor tower, on his old bed, the morning after the terrible battle of Hogwarts.

It seemed to be a couple hours before dawn, he was completely dirty and sweaty, both old sweat from the days before, and new sweat from his uneasy sleeping which only lasted a couple hours. It was long before the fear escaped him, and he did not want to go back to sleep. He grabbed the Marauder's map and his invisibility cloak and crept out of the room down the stairs, leaving the snores of his old friend Ron Weasly in the bed next to his. Hermione had gone off immediately after the battle to Australia, she would check on her parents, and try to bring them back to Britain.

Harry checked on the Marauder's map every now and then making sure his way was clear. He was not sure where he was heading and was considering going to the Kitchens to eat something. The map showed lots of spots walking in and out of the Great hall. He walked down the corridor and stairs evading most of the people he crossed, some students from Ravenclaw that he knew only by sight, a couple aurors patrolling the corridors. Every now and then he had to stumble across debris from the battle, at some points he could see holes in the walls with views over the castle grounds. A lonely dot in the map showed Kingsley Shackebolt near the Owlery and carefully he made his way to him.

As he climbed the last stairs of the Owlery tower he saw the figure of Kingsley sending patronuses into the castle ground where they hurried to the distance and disappeared. Harry took out his cloak and spoke to him.

"Good Morning Minister" He said trying to sound casual.

The dark skinned ex-auror seemed genuinely surprised to see him a couple steps down in the stairs.

"Well Harry, I did not expect to see you up so early in the morning. I know I should have a thousand questions for you, a year worth of questions to be precise" he then paused. "But I don't want be a nuisance to our Hero. Let me just say thank you Harry."

"Minister" said Harry in a worried tone."I have some worries I want to consult with you."

"Please Harry, albeit I don't need more worries at the time, I'll be glad to hear anything from you."

"The Deatheaters that escaped, I'm afraid they really mad Minister, and they are burning and killing on a rampage, apparating from town to town and wreaking havoc as we speak." Although he did not have any actual proof of this, he knew his nightmare was as real as the cold wind coming from the castle lake.

Kingsley seemed very surprised at his words, but his expression changed rapidly to frustration and sadness. He looked at the young wizard trying to figure how he got this information.

"You speak the truth Harry, it saddens me to say." said Kingsley. "Reports came from lots of places across the wizardly communities, lots of towns burned to the ground by Fiendfire, the number of deaths are unaccounted, but it seems to be many more than here at Hogwarts.

Kingsley's words sunk into Harry like a rock on his shoulders.

" I was just sending my patronus to all the aurors on duty outside the school boundaries, they are to round survivors and bring them back here to Hogwarts." A silent grew for a second. "Harry, there's something you said the morning when you battled Voldemort in the Great Hall, about you dying for all of us, of a great protection like your mother's? Harry, the voice spread across the magic community, hundreds of people are arriving to the castle gates, and they refuse to leave until the danger of the aftermath has disappeared."

Kingsley signaled to the castle grounds and Harry noticed tents as in the World Cup, and some movement here and there, possibly more tents being raised.

" I swear I have never seen Minerva so pale and worried, Hogwarts cannot sustain them all, and as the word spreads hundred more will be appearing outside the school boundaries. Hogsmeade is also in flames." He said signaling to the column of smoke rising on to the east almost out of sight from that tower. "Already madam Rosemerta and Aberforth are installed in the castle, along with others who also lost their homes."

Harry felt a prickle of fear building inside him, so they had won the battle of Hogwarts, but they may lose the war after all.

Kingsley continued.

"Now I got just one single question to ask you Harry. It is not about the past year or the past days, but about the future. What do you want to do with your life now Harry?"

Harry did not understand the Minister's question.

"Let me rephrase that… Will you take an active role in the reconstruction of our world? Or will you stand aside for a long deserved rest? You need to understand Harry, you and your friends were the heroes of this war. That's something any wizard alive would could deny, and people will be looking to you for answers to the confusion and the chaos. If you renounce this right and decide for a rest we won't respect you or your achievements any less. But, should you decide to help, the people… we will all look up you as a leader and as a flag bearer around whom we could rally."

The implications of the question ran deeply into Harry's mind, and it surprised him how Kingsley included himself as a follower. The voice of the minister was full of emotion. Harry watched to the distance as more tents were raised, the sun was coming out into the horizon. Of course he wanted to rest, he wanted to stay here at Hogwarts and just relax for years to come, not caring for another dark wizard in his life. But he knew that was not possible.

"Now Harry, take some time to think about this. But not too much, until you do I recommend you stick to the invisibility cloak of your father, I fear if somebody sees your right now the commotion will be difficult to contain, even for the man who destroyed Lord Voldemort itself." Kingsley paused for a second. "I will be meeting with Minerva and the school's staff before breakfast for a briefing, would you like to come?"

Harry did not know what use could he be in a school staff meeting, but he accepted anyway. And without another word he threw his cloak above his head and walked down the stairs and corridors beside the minister of magic.