It was all finally over, the era of terror. As Dawn broke across the country, the news started spreading. The wizarding world was celebrating the end of The Dark Lord. The papers' photos showed Stand in Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt as he proclaimed Voldemort's death and the crowds in Diagon alley celebrating. They stood along side the stories that had already been told. It was the end of the people falling asleep with the fear that they or someone they loved would not be waking up. People fears of sending their children to school again were fading, and they started getting on with living their lives. They all yelled and screamed cheers for Harry Potter: The Chosen One, and his friends who had given them this peace.
There was a flip side to this celebration though. The Order of the Phoenix, the members of Dumbledore's Army, and those who had stayed or come to protect Hogwarts School wept bitter sweet tears. This small group of the magical world had paid the price for this moment, unlike the general population. They had paid it with blood, sweat, magic, and lives. In the aftermath witches, wizards, centaurs, elves, and any other creature were scourging the school grounds, and the count of lives lost was still climbing.
That count was what was playing on Harry Potter's mind now. He stood alone on a hill looking out over the temporary resting place of his friends. The calm exuberance that he had after the battle when he climbed the stairs to his old four poster bed had faded and fled. That night sleep had come swiftly and his dreams were flashes of all the people that would be safe now, all the people that he loved. Ron and Hermione with their arms wrapped around each other had filtered through the fog first. They could finally be together and happy, they had become so close they were each like a separate part of his soul. Of course after thinking of their happiness his had danced into his mind. Ginny in the pale gold dress from Fleur and Bill's wedding with her red hair flashing flitted to her place in his arms. Dream Harry had looked around him to see all the people he loved standing there and happy in a large circle around Ron Hermione Ginny and himself. But as he looked at some faces they had become foggy and then with a last wave and smile one by one they disappeared, leaving their counterparts standing alone. And each disappearance hurt worse then the one before. Little Colin first followed by others leading up to Remus, Tonks, And Fred. They were standing together on the edge of the Weasley family. As they started to fade Tonks and Lupin looked down at the baby she carried in her arms, before passing it to Fred, who smiled at the bundle before handing the little baby boy to his twin. This trio continued to fade and Remus wrapped his arms around Tonks, and Fred threw his over the older wizard. The all gave knowing smiles and waved before turning and walking a few paces to be claimed by the thick mist surrounding the scene.
It was a long dream but that had been the end. Harry had woken clutching his chest, gasping for breath. The pain in his chest was hot and sharp and he knew it was that wonderful ability to love Dumbledore had always spoke of, rendering his heart into pieces at all those that had left this world because of this Bloody war. It took time to regain his breath as he had looked around the solid walled room of his old dormitory. Eventually a small smile graced his hot face, that all of the beds were full of the ones that should be in them. It was a short lived moment of solace. His heart was still breaking and he needed to get away from everyone and mourn. Throwing his dependable invisibility cloak over himself he slipped out of the dorm, through the common room, down the various hallways and staircases of Hogwarts to a hill looking over the lake, and Dumbledore's tomb that now had less extravagant brothers in the works to either side of it.
The sun had climbed the sky and with every moment people had come out of the castle in small groups to various graves. The collective ceremony was later in the afternoon and people were spending last moments in separate visitations.
Bright green eyes surveyed the lakeside, before falling on the bodies of Tonks and Lupin lay side by side. Lupin's usually stressed face finally looking at peace. How Harry prayed they were happy where ever they were and that they felt more confident then he did in himself as their son's Godfather. The next thing that caught his eyes was right next to them. There was a sea of red headed people, a family he came to think of as his own, grieving over their lost member. Hermione had joined them; her wild brown hair could be identified next to Ron's tall and suddenly strong looking form. He himself felt torn between being there and being afraid, after all this was all his fault.
Out of nowhere thin soft arms encircled him from behind, and he realized that he hadn't counted the Weasley family, for the youngest of them was now embracing him. Ginny's floral smell carried in the wind around him and locks of her hair swirled into his peripheral vision. Her freckled hand reached up and pulled his cloak down off of him and she studied him with her warm brown eyes "How can you even look at me?" the words were whisper soft but didn't die in the breeze even as he turned from her. Her forehead thunked into his back and she hugged him into her small frame, the little movements saying more then 1,000 words. She was tired, sad, worried for him, wanting to protect him, wanting his comfort, and exasperated at all of that. "That's easy you git, I love you." she slid around to his side, bringing a hand up to his face to catch one of his teardrops. She licked the drop off her finger and then slid herself under his arm and snuggled into his chest as he instinctively crushed her to him. Holding her close was like a balm, it didn't stop the pain, but it soothed it. Made it bearable. "Blimey Harry you've gotten even taller this year." He could hear the silent that you've been gone that she would never say. She never accused him. However the attempt at small talk was ignored.
"Look at them Gin. All those people hurt, dead, or grieving…All of that blood is on my hands!" His green eyes were glassy and seemed to see nothing and everything including time. His hands curled up in front of him as if they were stained red in bright crimson blood even now. Hearing her take in a breath to argue he bounded on "Even your brother, Look at Fred! Look at George for Christ sakes! And Bill, that didn't happen today but still…." The rest of the sentence died in his cough as Ginny punched him in the gut, hard. "Don't you dare Harry James Potter! Don't you dirty what all of those people did and you! It was a war Harry, a fucking WAR! You didn't start it you did what you had to do to end it, and so did all those people there, and that's why everyone in this world will sleep tonight. They may be haunted by grief and nightmares but the fear that's been hanging over them is gone. Because of my family! Because of our friends! And because of you, love!" She had started her tirade with gritted teeth and a growl to her voice and had grown gentler till the end. She took his hands into her own and started kissing the imagined stains away while watching those deep green eyes the whole time.
She saw as they focused, though they remained glistening with tears that fell down his face leaving clean tracks in the dirt smudged there. He watched her full lips softly caress his hands and then slowly slid them down and around her again, one around her waist and the other around her shoulders for his fingers to entangle in her fiery hair. Leaning down as she stretched up they kissed each other hungrily after being apart so long. It was more then just missed time being caught up, it was the two of them connecting back on that special plain they were on, working through all that had transpired, and validating that they were alive. Time passed, though the two teens would never know how much or little.
Ginny broke the kiss leaning back and pulling him with her. "Come on now Harry. We need to be with our family." The green eyes flickered at the slight accentuation at those last words, to the crowd below, and then panic filled back to her. "They are all your family love, even my crazy lot. You belong down there."
Harry closed his eyes and took in a long deep breath. "You really think it's OK?" She nodded reassuringly and pulled at him again. He fell into step behind her and they hiked down the hill toward the collection of people she called his family in the valley. When ever he slowed in his gate she would give him a reassuring squeeze and keep walking. Every few moments she would whisper that she loved him and that she would stay with him.
She wasn't unscathed; she was burying her pain to support him. It was clear to her that she was going to face this later, and that it would be bad. Whenever she was turned from Harry's gaze she felt the traitorous salty tears fall down her face. Never did the thought cross her mind that he would see them fall from her chin to splash into the dirt in front of Harry's steps. Halfway down the path, when they walked through a copse of tree's he stopped suddenly and pulled back on her, causing her to spin into him. He crushed her into his chest, one arm hugging her to him and his other running through her hair soothingly. "I'm here for you Ginny, lean on me too, we'll get through this." He whispered into her fragrant hair. The head under his lips shook and he knew she was going to say she was alright. "Don't hold back. You need to grieve love, and it's ok to cry and scream and hurt." Her breathing sped and he felt her trembling before the warm wet started soaking his shirt. She cried silently for a bit before she broke. She hadn't been told it was ok to cry and let it all out, and with Harry's permission to do just that she couldn't hold back. Sobs racked her and sad whimpers escaped her lips. Her legs gave out and Harry caught her and eased her down, still held securely in his embrace. He whispered words of assurance and understanding and even allowed his silent tears to fall with hers, while he rocked her.
It didn't take long. She let it out and got to the point where the tears and sobs didn't stop but she was strong enough to get up. Harry helped her get to her feet and the couple dusted off their cloths and walked with arms wrapped around one another and tears falling the rest of the way to the Weasley family's vigil.
Molly was closest to their path and she closed the distance and took them both into her embrace. The hug was warm even as she cried, and in that magical way of hers she let Harry know then he did belong here. The fear left if not the feeling this was all on his soul. Next was Author and he hugged and kissed his daughter around Harry's arms and clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright Harry?" He received a sorrowful bob of the head, all Harry could do to acknowledge his question as his throat was closed off with emotion. The two exchanged hugs with the whole bunch until they came to Ron and Hermione. The two couples faced each other and then hugged as a group. The girls clasping hands and the boys hugging them in the middle before Harry took his place beside his best mate. The two girls in front still holding hands and Harry and Ron with one arm around their girls and the other over his brother's shoulder.