Summary: The war is over. Voldemort is defeated. Harry tries to figure out what to do with his life now that the one he was living to fight is no more.
Author's Note: This is my new story, A New Beginning. It focuses on Harry's life after the defeat of Voldemort and before JKR's Nineteen Years Later at the end of Deathly Hollows. I hope you all enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any of the characters from the Harry Potter series, or anything affiliated with the Harry Potter series. They all belong to J.K. Rowling. Any characters not in the Harry Potter series that may be mentioned, do belong to me.
A New Beginning
Chapter One: Hellos and Goodbyes
All was still. He couldn't remember the last time it had been this still, this quiet, this calm. It had been only a few hours since Voldemort had died. Only a few hours since he had sat in the Great Hall and looked at those around him, only a few hours since he had let it all sink in. He had no idea what to do.
He looked around at the small bedroom in the Burrow that he was occupying. Ron's room was still shockingly orange, just as it had ever been. The sun was slowly creeping up over the nearby hills. Harry wished that it would go back down, that time would rewind. Yes, he wanted Voldemort to be defeated, but he wished that he could have kept others from dying. He wished he could have a time turner to go back and warn Fred to move away from the wall, to tell Remus and Tonks to stay in the Room of Requirement.
He knew that this was impossible, as all of the time turners had been destroyed during their foray into the Ministry two years earlier, but he still wished it. He wished that he could change everything and overcome the great evil with no loses. He knew it was a foolish wish.
As Ron stirred in the bed across from him, Harry didn't know how he could ever face him, or even his family. They were almost alien to him now, now that one of them was missing. It was tragic how one son returned only for them to lose another. He knew that George would be the hardest person for him to face. He didn't know how he could do it. He didn't know how he could do any of it. He wished he didn't have to. Once again, he knew it was a foolish wish.
Ron sat up on his bed and stared at Harry sleepily. "Mornin'," he said as he stood up and stretched. "How long have you been awake?"
"Not long," Harry lied. He had never gone to sleep.
"You going to breakfast?"
"In a minute." Harry wanted nothing less than to walk down those stairs and look at Mrs. Weasley.
"Okay." Ron managed a half-smile as he left the room, still in his pajamas.
Harry didn't know what to do. He knew he had to leave this room eventually, but he didn't know how he could, didn't know how he could face the family whose lose he felt partially responsible for. He was extremely grateful when Hermione opened the door and poked her head in.
"Can I come in?" she asked softly.
Harry sat up on his bed and watched Hermione gingerly sit down on Ron's.
"I wanted to talk to you about something. I need your help."
Harry knew that this was coming, and was expecting it, but he had no idea how to help Hermione with her problem.
"I need to go and find my parents. I would love for both you and Ron to come with me, but I don't think it is a great idea for Ron to leave now, you know, under the circumstances." She looked extremely uncomfortable and fidgeted on the bed.
"I know. It wouldn't. His mum would have kittens. I don't know what to do though, Hermione. How do we get your parents back to England? They're Muggles. It's not like we can apparate to Australia, get them, and then apparate back."
"I know. That's why I need your help. I think we're going to have to go to Australia like Muggles, on a plane. That's also another reason why I don't think Ron should go. He doesn't know anything about that type of thing."
"Well neither do I. It's not like the Dursley's ever took me along on their holidays."
Hermione looked a bit sheepish. "I'm sorry. I know. But you do know a lot about Muggles, and you aren't going to act all strange about simple things like a movie on the plane, or computers, or anything Muggle related really, so what I mean is, I really want you to come with me." She got quiet for a second and looked down. "I don't think I could do it by myself."
Harry felt a little bit of sympathy for Hermione. It was so strange to see her looking unconfident about something and he knew it was a foreign concept for her.
"What if I can't change what I did? What if it's permanent? They won't even know me when I get there, and then I have to get them alone so I can do the reversal. What if something goes wrong?"
"Hermione," Harry said, "you are the most brilliant with I know. If anyone can do it, you can."
Hermione smiled up at Harry. "I'm sorry. I'm just being silly."
Harry gave Hermione the best smile he could manage. "It's okay."
Hermione stood up rather quickly and walked to the door. "Well, I guess I'll let you get ready for breakfast, and then we'll go."
"Go? You mean today?"
"Yes, today. I don't know how long this will take and we need to do it as soon as possible. I know Ron will be upset and, oh dear, so will Mrs. Weasley, but they have to understand how important this is to me."
"I'm sure they will. I'll be down in a minute."
Hermione gave Harry another small smile as she exited the room, closing the door behind her. Harry sighed as he stood up and stretched. He was happy they were leaving that day. The sooner the better he thought. He got dressed and walked down the stairs, preparing himself for what he knew was ahead.
Surprisingly, Mrs. Weasley failed to put up much of a fight when Hermione announced that she would be leaving to retrieve her parents. She did mention that maybe it would be best if Harry didn't go, or that maybe someone got them for her, but when Hermione firmly stated that she was going, Mrs. Weasley sighed and turned back to the mountain of food she was preparing. Ginny looked at Harry for a long time before she turned back to her breakfast without saying a word. Harry wasn't sure what he hated more, Ginny's silence, or her mother's.
Ron looked absolutely devastated. As soon as opened his mouth to protest, Hermione kicked his leg under the table. Ron sullenly ate his breakfast, only finished his plate for his mother's sake, and then stomped his way up to his room. Hermione and Harry followed soon after. He didn't even give them a chance to open their mouths.
"Why did you not tell me? Why did you decide that I couldn't go without even talking to me about it? Why are you going right NOW?"
Hermione looked almost scared for a few seconds, but she put a determined look on her face before she spoke. "Ron, I want you to come, okay. I want you to. But you know what that would do to your mum. She needs you. And I need mine. That's why I'm going. I didn't tell you, because I didn't want to have this argument with you before anything was firmly decided in my head. I want you to come with me Ron, but please understand that you just can't."
Ron looked like he didn't understand at all but he nodded his head and stalked out of the room. Hermione gave Harry a sad look as she followed suit. "I've already packed. Meet me outside when you're ready. I still have a lot of your stuff in my beaded bag if you don't want to take anything."
Harry looked around the room. Everything in it was Ron's. He didn't know what to take. He walked out of the room and was surprised to walk into Ginny.
"So, you're leaving?"
"Yeah, but it shouldn't take long."
"Shouldn't take long? So you're coming back in a day? A week? What?"
"I really don't know."
"Oh, well, goodbye then."
"Goodbye."
They stared at each other for a few moments. Ginny looked like she desperately wanted to tell him something, and Harry felt like he had words bottled up in his chest. Ginny stepped toward him suddenly and kissed him slowly and softly.
It took him a moment to react, but Harry kissed her back, just as gently, reveling in it, wishing it would never end, and wondering why he hadn't kissed her sooner.
Ginny pulled away and hugged him to her. "Don't take too long, okay?" she whispered softly in his ear. Harry briefly forgot whey he was even leaving and had an impulse to tell her he wasn't going anywhere. He hugged her back tightly and just stood there for a few moments.
"Okay."
He pulled away and walked down the stairs, willing himself not to look back or he might just walk right back up them and take her into his arms again.