AFTERMATH

Harry gazed out at the ruins of his former safe-haven. How had it come to this, He asked himself. He had spent his whole life working to protect this place and now it was all for

nothing. A sadness of understanding washed over him. He had been across the world finishing off the last of Voldermort's forces when the actual deatheater reserves attacked

Hogwarts. His two best friends, Ron and Hermione, had been with him. Those two were the only things keeping him rooted to reality. Parents dead, Dumbledore dead, Hogwarts

destroyed. the castle was exactly what Harry felt inside, crushed. But wait, there was one thing still standing, Gryffindor tower. This was the only thing that showed anything even remotely similar to

the beauty that the majestic castle once held. Harry remembered all the battles won and friends made. All the smiles and the laughs. The dread of O.W.L.'s (finals) and the joy of

Qudditch. with a shudder he remembered the battles not won and the friends lost. He remembered the scars and hurt. And even in spite of all that, he wouldn't have traded those

memories for all the galleons in the world. Evil is a very pesky and annoying thing. it seemed to pop up in all the places Harry didn't want it to. He knew his work was never really done because evil,

is a concept, an idea, a compulsion, a non physical infinity. There was no possible way for him to completely vanquish an idea. He would have to continue fighting a battle with no foreseeable resolution.

Until everyone in the universe was perfect, this wizard would have to continue running towards the sounds of terror. Even as he thought these things he believed he could not go on.

His pillar of strength had crumbled, leaving only two small support beams. He reached back to his shoulder to pet his faithful companion, Hedwig his pet owl, and choked back a sob when he remembered

that Hedwig had been killed in a battle with Voldemort and his henchmen.

He could sense a presence behind him and he assumed it was Ron or Hermione and did not turn around.

He gradually started to feel a sense of overwhelming peace. Somehow, he would find a way to proceed and fight alongside other brave warriors. He could not afford to sit around and wait

for the helpless to fight for themselves. He stood up and took one last sad glance at the the ruins, then turned around to ask why that person had come, but he found no one.

There had definitely been someone a moment before. He had not herd the swoosh of a teleportation spell.