Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. (Ex: Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, etc...). Or the settings.
Golden Age: Nineteen Years Ch.1 The Beginning of the Future
He knew he had spoken with Dumbledore's portrait, and decided what to do with the Hallows. He knew he had called Kreacher, and asked sleepily a sandwich as he managed, with Ron and Hermione's help, to bed. Even so…everything that had happened the day before seemed like a dream, especially when he woke up in his bed at Hogwarts, then sun streaming from the window into the dormitory. It made all of the past years ventures seem unreal…everything flooded back into his mind though when he saw Hermione and Ginny in sleeping bags on the floor. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to remember everything, before a soft voice and hand urged him to open his eyes again.
"Harry? Are you awake?" Ginny's soft voice made it impossible for him to smile a bit. "Yeah, I guess you are too then?" She laughed softly, but there was an unmistakable note of sadness.
"Yeah…Look, Kreacher was too kind. He brought your sandwich, and all of our breakfasts."
Harry looked over and saw a great deal of food there. "Just like Kreacher..." He murmured, almost a joke. The recent battle still loomed too heavy over their heads. Even so, they began to eat and the others joined them as they did.
As they finished, Harry looked around to see them all staring at him oddly. Neville, Luna, Seamus, Dean…even Ginny, Ron, and Hermione had that same look, but with more love. "What is it everyone?" Harry asked tentatively.
Amazingly, though maybe not so amazingly in light of recent events, it was Neville who answered.
"Harry…we've got to bury them all. The rest…some….have been left so you could help…say final words and all…"
Harry nearly choked on his food. "What?" It was registering in his head…Bury them? Lupin...Tonks…Fred…
"We've got to..." Neville began to repeat but then Harry shook his head. "I heard you…I just can't believe it…But it does need to be done…along with so many other things I'm sure." Harry said, a bit sad, a bit sarcastic. "Let's go." Ginny took his hand with a slight smile and the two of them led everyone out of the dormitories and every conversation stopped as they walked into the common room. All heads turned to face them, Ginny and Harry just walked out the portrait hole. The hallways weren't much better, but they were better. Teachers walked around, repairing what they could, with the help of the less injured students. St. Mungo's must've sent in a crew of Healers…so many had been hurt. Harry thought as they passed by the silently working teachers and students. Occasionally a teacher would say "Good Morning" or something to him, or a student would say hello. He was glad for Ginny being there though, and Ron and Hermione so close behind them.
It was shocking to him exactly how much the castle had been destroyed. It was being repaired though…between the spells cast by those inside in the school, and the centaurs and others helping outside. Ron and Hermione, holding hands, along with Ginny led him out to an area that had been picked out for these select few people. He saw how people had made little marks already on the tombstones with their words of kindness. Tears came to Harry's eyes as he saw Lupin and Tonks graves…It wasn't fair! They just had their first kid! It was too much like his parent's deaths… He stood by the graves though, and wrote on Lupin's: Great Friend, Moony forever. Husband to Nymphadora Tonks, and father to Ted Tonks. On Tonks's he wrote: Mother, Wife, Auror, Friend. Then he saw Fred's grave nearby. Slowly he walked over, and saw that apparently the Weasleys has already made the main words on his, so simply wrote: Best Hogwarts Pranks since the Marauders. After that, he couldn't bear to look at their graves anymore, and just began walking back up to the castle. He wondered how he'd ever be able to show Ted his parent's graves.
Harry's heavy footsteps seemed to be echoed everywhere as he returned to the castle and walked into the Great Hall. Most of the bodies had been taken care of, even the death eaters. He had seen where they had buried them… a new cemetery for those whose parents had wanted them buried here had been made, and as for the death eaters…he wasn't sure he wanted to know what had happened to those. Very few people were walking among the messy Great Hall…but Harry walked straight for one body. As he looked down upon it, he felt a mixture of anger, relief, and wonder. Voldemort's body still held his look of shock at what had happened.
Any other feelings beside anger that Harry might've had at the moment vanished as he stared at his enemies body. Nearly shaking with rage Harry murmured "Ron, Hermione, Ginny…what should we do with it?" Hermione stepped forth reluctantly, but she was glaring at the dead body as well. "Cremate him….and bury him where he hated the most, the orphanage." The others mumbled their agreement. "Yeah… well then, first a picture? The worst enemy of Hogwarts will be in a room for tribute to this battle." Harry said grimly. Ginny said "Accio camera" Immediately, a camera flew over, and she caught it. Each one of them took different shots of him, and then Professor McGonagall walked in, and saw them all.
"Mr. Potter, may I speak to you for a minute?" She asked. Harry nodded and walked over. "What do you plan on doing?" she asked, and he told her exactly what they were going to do to his body. To his surprise, she replied "Fitting…but bury Bellatrix there as well. Even more fitting, don't you think Harry?" He nodded grimly, and then they both walked over. All of them raised their wands, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and McGonagall and said "Incendio." As Voldemort's body burned, Harry stared into the flames, turning his eyes away just long enough to levitate Bellatrix over, and set her body on fire as well. Then all of them watched the two bodies' burn, and slowly more people joined them. As they turned to ash, they had been joined by Neville, Luna, George, Percy, Seamus, and a few teachers. With a grim face, McGonagall murmured "Accio shoeboxes". Harry started at them in confusion, and Hermione asked "Err…Mrs. McGonagall? Why did you summon shoeboxes?"
"Well, Mrs. Granger, He-Who-, Voldemort kept his prizes from others in a shoebox…what would be better to put him in? Bellatrix should be put in another. "Harry knelt down and levitated each pile of dust into a different show box, then wrote, so it would be permanent, on one "Here lies the evil Voldemort, Tom Marvolo Riddle. May none follow his example again." And on Bellatrix's "Here lies the evil Bellatrix Black, murderer of the innocent Sirius Black, and follower of Voldemort" Then he stood up and asked everyone "Where should we put them?"
"The orphanage he hated." Ron murmured, and then repeated louder. Harry smiled at his friend, and then nodded his head. "That sounds good. We'll take them later."
"Oh, and Professor McGonagall? " She looked at Harry and said "Yes?"
"Could a new room be added to the castle, with pictures of the castle as it is, with it being repaired, the graves, the bodies…and the fighters?" He asked, and she, with a look of surprise.
"Well, I suppose so! I'll try to see that it is done. Now, isn't school over? The school with hopefully start up again next year Mr. Potter…but now, here is the address your family is at. Enjoy your summer Mr. Potter." She said with a smile. "I'll take care of these two and everything else; you deserve a nice break Harry." He smiled with relief and asked "Where are the brooms?" She gave him instructions, and after saying "I'll keep in touch!" They walked around, saying goodbye to everyone, and despite his weak protestations, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, all were determined to spend the summer with him. The Weasleys had already left, with a note for Ginny and Ron to Floo home as soon as possible and for Harry to come along, and Hermione had said she had to get her parents back from Australia, so they parted reluctantly, with everyone leaving.
McGonagall saw them all head off, with both the Weasleys and Hermione taking the Floo Network. Harry stood alone. With a slight smile she walked over and said, actually, I'll take you to Hogsmeade, and then we can Apparate to where your family is. Harry sighed and nodded, grateful for company. In silence they went to Hogsmeade, and then she put her hand on his shoulder as they vanished with a loud pop. They appeared in front of the house the Dursleys were staying at, and as Harry felt the hand lift from his shoulder, he looked down to see a tabby cat looking up at him. He sighed, and then knocked slowly on the door.
"Who in the wor-"Petunia stopped and her hand flew to her mouth as she saw Harry.
"Hey Aunt Petunia…I'm back." Her eyes were wide in shock as she looked at her nephew, who she thought long gone, covered in scrapes and bruises, standing at her doorstep. Finally she regained her voice and said "Oh dear god…Vernon! Vernon! Dudley! Come here!"
"What is it, wha-"Vernon stopped at the sight of Harry. "What're you doing here boy? What happened to fighting what's his face? Chickened out I suppose?"
Harry felt no rage, surprisingly, towards his uncle. Things hadn't changed.
"Actually, Uncle Vernon, he's dead, and I'm free. But I'm going to be spending the summer at the Burrow, just thought you'd like to know I was alive and well."
Petunia looked like she was refraining from screaming. Dudley, who arrived quick enough to hear Harry's short story, was in shock. "Well then, you guys can go back to your old house now, I'm off, I know you won't miss me." Harry said, and waved, and just before he turned around, was hugged tightly by Dudley, to everyone's surprise. "Well…thanks Dud…I'll see you around." For the first time he saw care in his cousins eyes, and a flicker in his aunts.
He smiled, and waved goodbye, then he and McGonagall Apparated back to Hogsmeade, and Harry said his goodbyes to those at Hogwarts, and Flooed to the Burrow. Ron was sitting on the couch, along with Bill and Fleur. Ron leapt up and said "Harry! You're here!" Fleur exclaimed "You are here 'Arry!" and she kissed him lightly on both cheeks. He smiled and said hello to everyone. Apparently Hermione was still in Australia and would arrive in a few days, along with Charlie. Mrs. Weasley rushed in, and said "Harry you made it!" and hugged him tightly. "Oh Arthur will be home later, he's helping to patch things up at the Ministry, along with Percy. George is upstairs..." Tears came to her eyes, but she shook them away. "Ginny is-"she was stopped short as Ginny ran down the stairs with tears and launched herself at Harry, and they hugged tightly.