The war was over. The war was finally over. It was like nothing had ever happened. News spread rapidly over the country, about the death of Voldemort, the escape of the remaining deatheaters or them brought to Azkaban. For once, it was like peace for Harry, remaining peace, knowing his scar would never burn again, there would be no sleepless nights, torn-out dreams or looking for Horcruxes. Never ever looking for Horcruxes. He smiled ironically. The latter had actually been fun, if you put aside the continious fear to get discovered, being held prison at Malfoy Manor , escaping from Gringotts on a dragons back and nearly being killed by Nagini, Voldemorts snake, when he and Hermione had gone to Godrics Hollow, trying to find out more about the mysterious Bathilda Bagshot. Voldemort was finally dead. Everything was over. "What are you thinking about, mate?" Harry was torn out of his thoughts by the voice of his best friend, Ron Weasley. He looked up to see the red-haired, freckled eighteen year old grinning at him from his armchair. "Just been thinking." Harry answered, grinning back and feeling a wave of happiness rushing through his body. There was it, the peaceful day he had always wanted to spend with Ron and Hermione, his best friends he had known since his very first year at Hogwarts. And of course with Ginny, his girlfriend. She was sitting next to Harry, burried over a book, concentrating hard. The title, as Harry knew, was "Professional Potions, 7" by Arsenius Bunsen. She looked up from the book with a heavy sigh and shut in with banging that made Harry jump. "I`ll never learn this!" she complained, when Harry had restrained himself, and went on staring at it miserably, "I don`t know how I will get through grade 7, seeing as we haven`t learnt anything last year- well, except never ask Alecto Carrow her blood status or she might get angry." she added. Harry and Ron laughed, but it hit Harry like a dark shadow, it was like being pulled into old times again. Amycus and Alecto Carrow, deatheaters torturing the students, teaching at Hogwarts. He blamed himself for his foolishness, why had he let Ginny alone at school, hadn`t even thought about what could happen to her, had only thought about his mission, locating and destroying the Horcruxes together with Ron and Hermione. Who could have helped, maybe even protected Ginny at that time? "Harry?" Ginny asked. He swerved, then noticing it was her. "Yeah?" "Are you allright?" She looked worried, her red hair falling prettily over her back, her brown eyes stern, searching his face for any sign of something wrong. "Sure." he assured her, "It was just... you know... I never thought about what might happen to you, I just went off looking for these Horcruxes" But she talked across him, talking at the top of her voice: "And here Harry Potter goes again, blaming himself for whatever happened to the people around him even though none of it is or ever was his fault, not noticing we made our own decisions..." "Ha ha ha." Harry said dryly.
Ginny rolled her eyes and then very, very slowly turned towards Harry. She took a deep breath: "Harry, I beg you, I am seventeen, I can look after myself." "At that time you were sixteen." Harry said angrily. He hated it when no one seemed to take him serious, putting him off as a little boy who tried to show he was grown-up, too. Sirius, Ron and Hermione hadn`t always, no-one had believed him when he had talked about his wand acting on its own accord, actually the only one Harry knew ever to take him serious was Dumbledore and no one else.
But Dumbledore was gone, gone like many others, like Sirius, Fred, Cedric, his parents, all died in a war people didn`t know was ever going to end. A stinging in his eyes and a lurching, empty feeling in his stomach reminded him of all these deaths and that he was never going to see these people again. He blinked rapidly and heard Ginnys voice, bringing him back into the momentanous. " Oh, I just hope Slughorn teaches us this year, otherwise I am done with potions. Maybe I`ll even drop school and get a job, I don`t care what mum says." "GINNY!" Harry and Ron looked at each other, with a tilt of amusement. Hermione Granger had looked up from the books she was reading, her eyes wide open in shock, her bushy hair electrized and was now staring at Ginny. "You`re kidding! There is nothing more important than a good education, without one, you will not be able to find a job at all. And good reports are the most important thing in later " "We know, Hermione." Ron cut across her, and facing Harry and Ginny, rolled his eyes. Hermione had been the one who had persuaded each one of them of finishing their last year at Hogwarts together. The arguments she had brought no one had been able to put off. She had practiacally talked them into it, all of them suddendly realizing they had agreed but not knowing when. Hermione could persuade you for anything she wanted to. Hermione sat back down, glared at Ginny, and started stroking crookshanks, her orange cat. Crookshanks purred, closing his yellow eyes which were mostly fixed on anything suspicious. "But I am glad." Ginny suddendly said, "Remus and Tonks have survived." "Yeah, me too." Harry agreed at once. How, no one knew. Just that it had been an unconciousness together with a stupefy and body-binding curse, which had made them look as if they were dead.
But they weren`t. They were living, alive, in a little appartment somewhere in London,
looking after Teddy Lupin, their son, relieving from the war. They visited them as often as they could, Teddy was now keeping a constent violett colour of his hair. Tonks was proud. "Yes, I mean, who thought that they would survive?" Ron responded, "I mean, did you think Snape was going to survive after that snakes bite? That was
venom, I didn`t think that even he would stand it!" They all nodded in reunion, but another empty feeling gained control of Harrys stomach. After he, Hermione and Ron had gone down into the Shrieking Shack to recover Snapes body, Harry had felt something like a pulse going through the supposed deads veins. He had not believed what he had heard at first, but then automatically told Ron and Hermione. They were shocked, astonished, but then they had lifted him up onto the only, falling apart bed in the room. Hermione had used a few spellls and had given him some of the potions she used to carry round in her robe: "You never know when you need them." she shrugged, when Ron asked "Why the heck are you carrying that stuff around with ya?". Harry had sat down next to the bed all the time, watching them do the proccedure, not able to get a thought. When Snape would survive...there were so many things to be said, so much to cleared. He wanted to know more about Snapes and Lilys relationship, and was scared all the time everything would be like the past. When Ron and Hermione had managed to bring Snape back into contiousness, Harry had stayed with him while the two went off to fetch Professor McGonnegal. He had sat there, next to Snapes bed. Harry made many attempts to talk, but no words came out of his throat, so they remained in silence, green eyes staring into black, until Ron and Hermione had come back with Professor Mc Gonnegal. They brought him into the hospital wing and then to St. Mungos, where he stayed for four weeks, miraciolously recovering.
After that, he had shut himself down at Hogwarts, not talking to anyone. Harry had visited him many times, but Snape had not been willing to talk, mostly sneering at Harry. Harry didn`t want to admit it but he had been hurt. He had thought....maybe after war....people would change....maybe a new chance for him and Snape... but no way. Snape would never change or admit he made mistakes. The last time he had practically thrown Harry out of his office, after Harry was desperatly trying to talk about Lily. "None of your buisness, Potter!" he had barked and when Harry was trying to talk into him, yelled at Harry until he fled. No, Snape was himself, there was no way for them to have a something like a friendship or at least respectful contact."Harry, what is the matter?" Ron said, looking closer at Harry, "Youre so absent minded today,mate!" "Sorry." Harry mumbled, "I just wished that...it is weird, but...I wished Snape would change someday. At least after all we have been through. He saved our lives, he was on our side, he just can`t go back terrorising the students and hating uns for no reason, can he?No-one can stay like that forever, or?"
"He is a greasy git-" Ron started, "RON!" it came from Hermione, who looked outraged, "and he will always be. Harry, people don`t change in reality. Maybe in Movies, but not in reality, there is nothing like a happily ever after." Ron said, ignoring her. Harry nodded, letting the words sink into him. Why did he care so much anyway? This was Snape they were talking about, not Remus or anyone. "He was friends with your mother and he even knew your aunt. " a little voice said inside his head, "so you think there is some kind of relation between you." "No I don`t!" Harry snapped back, "I hate him, he hates me and that is it." With that stubborn thought, he got up and sat on the sofa, legs and arms crossed, watching Ginny over her potions studies.
Hermione had soon started a discussion about House-Elves rights.
Everyone took part, and there was a hillarious quarrel between Ron and Hermione whetever to have house-Elves when they got married or not. ("How can you be so selfish? Imagine these elves suffering in the kitchen, that is sclavery!" " I don`t understand you. We had Kreacher all last year" "I could have gotten on without him! I paid him after every meal" "You did WHAT?" "Ronald Weasley, did you ever think I was letting any elf do something for nothing?") After they had had a wonderful lunch, suprisingly cooked by Hermione, who wouldn`t let any house elves near the frying pan, and who practiced her kitchen skills for later life, Hermione and Harry left the Burrow
.
