I've been writing for many years now, since I was a little girl, but haven't ever written Harry Potter fanfiction seriously after reading the books as a child. After watching the Deathly Hallows not long ago, though, my passion for the series was resparked... and so here we are!

This fic is going to be massive. It is going to cover the entirety of the nineteen year gap, and then maybe some. There will not be any sexual content, however there will be references and, when the time does arise, the sex scenes will be published elsewhere should you wish to read them. I am looking forwards greatly to sharing this massive journey with everyone!

So, without further ado, let's get this new adventure started...

There was a brief period of silence, even the wind seeming to freeze in time at the sight of Voldemort's downed body. Nobody—neither the Death Eaters, nor the fighters for the Light, nor even the giants and the acromantula—dared to take a breath, as if afraid doing so would trigger some catastrophic event. And then there was uproar.

The Death Eaters vanished in clouds of black smoke, apparating away almost immediately. But none of the remaining fighters could have cared less at that moment, instead lost in the excitement. They screamed their jubilation and swarmed upon their saviour en masse. It was a scene of utter chaos, and yet it was so full of joy and relief.

Only one person had not yet reacted. Harry Potter stood, dazed, staring down almost blindly at the unmoving corpse before him. Tom Riddle was dead. Gone. Finished. And yet, though the evidence was irrefutable this time and lay right before his very eyes, it just wouldn't sink in.

"Harry!"

That was enough to snap him out of his stupor. Harry turned, slowly, the voices of his two best friends all he could hear. They smashed into him excitedly, their arms wrapping around him heavily so that he gasped, clawing weakly at them until he could escape. He took a sharp inhale and gave the smallest chuckle imaginable.

"You did it, Harry!" the bushy haired witch cried, clinging onto him once again. "You really did it! He's gone!"

"He did. Nice one, mate!" yelled the second, a ginger-haired young man who had barely left Harry's side since he rejoined the wizarding world. That was almost seven years prior, now. So much had changed.

As the rest of the crowd barrelled closer, Harry gave another weak smile. "I guess I did, Hermione, Ron," he murmured, his voice too quiet to hear over the screaming.

A wave of fatigue suddenly washed over him and he let out a breath. His legs went wobbly and unsteady as the reality finally—finally—hit him.

It was over. After decades of fighting, and a life marred from Voldemort's influence, it was over.

Harry cringed as the jubilant crowd reached out to him desperately, arms flung over and groping every part of his body. He quickly stepped closer to his friends' sides, letting Ron and Hermione shield him from at least some of the hands. But there were a few faces that he wasn't so upset to see.

Another redhead barged her way through, staring up at Harry with massive, watery brown eyes. Close behind two more followed; a tall, blonde man stepped forwards, a confident smirk on his face, with a small, silvery-haired girl at his shoulder who smiled quietly, her head slightly cocked to the side as she stared forwards. Harry gave the latter pair a small, tired nod—but he only had eyes for one, really.

"Ginny…" he breathed, a wave of relief flooding his body as he looked back down into the redheaded witch's eyes. He stepped forwards ever so slightly, but suddenly found her knocked towards him by the excitedly scrambling crowd. They both yelped, her weight shunting him backwards into Ron and Hermione.

For perhaps the first time in the last nine months, the group's laughter was truly genuine. For they knew that now, though it was long overdue, they would finally be able to live without the unending fear that they had all grown accustomed to; that they had grown up with; that had forced them to age well beyond their years.

Because the war was over, and a new era had begun. An era of peace and safety.

There would be long conversations ahead. There would be mourning and grief and heartache, too. Harry's mind momentarily drifted to the soulless bodies of the brave soldiers who had fought to make this newly found peace possible. There had been so many, from both sides, and that was at just this battle alone. It was a tragedy, an event that would go down in Wizarding history and never be forgotten.

But there would be time for sorrow and remembrance later. They had all the time in the world. But now? Well, now they were content to just stay with each other, rejoicing with their comrades at the long awaited victory that so many had made the biggest sacrifice to achieve.

So, this is the prologue. Please take note that most chapters are going to be much longer than this one; this is just to give you a taster of my writing style so you can decide whether to stick it out or not. Plus, it seemed a good idea to give an introductory few paragraphs before getting to the actual story, just to get everyone caught up to speed.

If you've read this note, I expect that you are planning on actually trying out the second chapter. I do so hope you'll enjoy it!

If you're enjoying this so far, please leave a favourite and a review!

Thanks so much, to everyone.

Charlotte