Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, etc.

Ok, this is my tale of the end of the new war. I'm going to go on with my own theories about what will happen, so if you're angry with the outcome, direct it at me.

thus far, it's just talk about what has happened. Nothing graphic. More intense chapters to come.

Harry and Draco landed outside the new headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. It was a simple house that was hidden amongst muggle houses. It was dark when they arrived. Harry stood for a moment and thought to himself, 'The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is 20 Paddington Place.' A door appeared in between the houses 19 and 21 along with the rest of the house. Harry and Draco quickly walked forward and walked into the house. The house was dark but warm after their long journey through the cold air. They put their brooms in the corner and hung their cloaks up on the coat rack. Mrs. Weasley called out from the kitchen,

"Is that you Harry?"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, and I've brought Draco Malfoy with me." Mrs. Weasley stood in the door way from the kitchen. "I see," she said visibly trying to remain calm.

"You heard about the attack in Diagon Alley?"

"Yes, I just got the news."

"Anyone you knew?"

"Several... some I knew just by name from George and Fred talking and such. But others..." She turned away and walked back into the kitchen. Harry walked into the kitchen while Draco remained in the living room.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley," Harry said gently. "And Draco wants to help. He's all ready helped me with other battles. He was with me when Ron died too. We can trust him."

"How do you know that he's not that reason Ron is dead?"

"I was there. Draco had been bound in ropes. I had been frozen. There wasn't much either of us could do."

"I know... I just... I'm fixing dinner and it should be ready soon. Remus and Tonks are out but they'll be back soon." Harry nodded and walked back into the living room. He knew by now to leave Mrs. Weasley alone when something was upsetting her. Cooking and cleaning seemed to always be her cure-alls. Draco had settled into an arm chair near the fire and was staring into the flames. Harry sat in a chair near by and sighed heavily.

"Remus and Tonks will be back soon," said Harry quietly. "And Mrs. Weasley will be done with the dinner soon."

"Do you think they'll let me stay here with my father being a death eater and all."

"Your father is."

"And I still bear the mark."

"But you are here. You're not with them. That's what matters at this point." Draco looked to Harry to see if he was serious and found only sincerity on Harry's face. Draco turned back to the fire and stared once more into the flames that were licking the sides of the fireplace.

"You've never asked me why," said Draco calmly.

"Why what?"

"Why I became a death eater."

"I assumed that it had something to do with your father."

"It had a lot to do with my father." Draco didn't speak further and Harry didn't press for answers. Soon after the door opened and Remus and Tonks walked in looking rather weary.

"Good evening Harry," said Remus. "And good evening Draco. Is Mrs. Weasley cooking?"

"Yes Lupin," said Harry. "She said that dinner should be ready soon. Good evening Tonks."

"And to you Harry," she said settling in one of the remaining arm chairs. She glanced at Draco but he seemed lost in his own thoughts so she decided not to disturb the boy's thoughts.

"Where have you been?" asked Harry.

"I was fetching Remus. Greyback has been getting more and more fierce lately. He's certain there's a spy amongst the werewolves and I didn't want Remus in danger." Harry nodded remembering Remus's descriptions of Greyback. Remus went on into the kitchen to see about dinner. "How are you?"

"I heard about Diagon Alley and I came here. I need to find Voldemort. I want this to be over soon." Tonks twitched slightly when he said he was looking for Voldemort, but then she nodded silently.

"When I heard, I knew you would be angry. I knew you would want to start something."

"Well, you were right," said Draco finally speaking. "And I told him I was coming with him."

"Times like these, we need all the help we can get. What about Hermione?"

"She left me a note. Several friends of hers died and she is off paying her respects. She promised me that she will be here soon. It may be as late as tomorrow morning." Tonks only nodded.

"I'll make sure to leave some candles lit safely when I go to bed tonight," she said reassuringly. "The last thing a person needs to see after so much death is a dark house that you want to be safe in." Harry nodded.

"Dinner's ready," said Remus from the kitchen door. Harry, Draco, and Tonks all silently made their way to the table and sat down. Mrs. Weasley put a cauldron of soup on the table and a basket of bread. She put down bowls and mugs of butter beer in front of each of them. After she took her seat at the table they began serving themselves soup and silently drinking their butter beer and eating the soup she had made. Mr. Weasley joined them a few minutes later along with Bill and Charlie. They all came into the room silently and immediately sat down and started eating the soup. Ron's death hung heavy in the room. Harry couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as he looked at the people he considered family. Draco seemed to read Harry's mind and gently patted Harry on the knee under the table. Harry suddenly felt grateful that Draco had come along with him.

"Is Hermione going to be coming here Harry?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"She had friends die in Diagon Alley, so she'll be here much later tonight or even early tomorrow morning."

"I'll keep something on the stove just in case."

"How are Fred and George?" asked Harry suddenly. He tried to remember if he had seen their names on the list, but he swore that he would have seen that.

"They were taking a day off," said Mrs. Weasley with a sigh of relief. "Their shop was partially destroyed in the fight, so they've been at the shop cleaning up. They should be back soon." As she spoke these words the front door opened and Fred and George came through the front door looking very tired and dirty.

"The shop's an incredible mess," said Fred with a sigh as he sat down.

"Somebody must have thrown in some bombs or something because the front window was broken and there was a lot of wreckage," said George following his twin brother to the table. "It's going to take a lot of time to clean everything up. When did you get here Harry?"

"An hour ago," Harry replied. He was slightly offended that they hadn't noticed him when they walked in but then he considered the scene they had just come from and probably the entire Ministry of Magic sitting in the kitchen would have gone unnoticed by them at this point.

"Sorry Harry," said Fred looking up. "The store was a wreck and just seeing Diagon Alley..." Fred's voice trailed off and no one wanted to ask why. The others at the table suddenly became quite interested in the soup in front of them. Fred snapped out of his reverie and slowly began to eat his soup. An owl tapped on the window with a viciousness that made everyone including Draco jump. Draco recognized his owl and let the bird in long enough to get the message from its leg before the bird flew off again at great speed. Draco was a little surprised by the bird's behavior and watched the bird as it sped away in the night.

"What is it?" asked Harry cautiously. Draco opened the message and felt his heart sink into his stomach.

"It's... it's..." Draco felt his stomach clench around the soup he had been eating. He felt the room spin and he grabbed the counter top trying to keep himself upright. He put the message down on the table and read it over again. He glanced around feeling his stomach clench again and ran to the nearest trash can before he threw up all the soup he had been eating. He felt a gentle hand on his back that he recognized as Harry's by the touch of it. He heard the crinkle of parchment as someone else picked up the message. He didn't care who read it, they would find out soon enough. He heard someone gasp and the parchment being passed. He still felt sick and didn't want to stray from the trash can. He felt Harry's hand on his shoulder and he could feel by the touch of Harry's hand that he knew.

"What is it?" he heard one of the twins say.

"It's his parents," said Lupin's voice quietly. "Voldemort knew that Draco was coming here with Harry. He killed Draco's parents as revenge." Draco's grip on the trashcan eased and he slowly tried to straighten up. He felt Harry's gentle hands on his body and tried to form words.

"I'm okay..." he finally muttered. "I just... I want to lie down."

"Ok," said Harry. "Mrs. Weasley, is the room I usually stay in all right?"

"Yes of course Harry, go on ahead and I'll bring up some tea."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Draco slowly as Harry guided him up the stairs and into the room that he and Ron once shared. He quickly helped Draco into his pajamas and then put him to bed in one of the two beds in the room. A few minutes later Mrs. Weasley gently knocked on the door with a cup of tea in her hands. Harry gratefully took it from her.

"Will he be all right Harry?" she asked quietly.

"I think he will," said Harry, "I think now he just needs some rest." Mrs. Weasley nodded in her usual motherly fashion.

"Let me know if you need anything," she said gently before turning away from the door and going back down the stairs. Harry quietly shut the door and handed Draco the tea. Draco drank the cup of tea and tried to keep his breathing even.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.

"For what?" said Harry confused.

"For... all that downstairs."

"Everyone understands Draco, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Draco nodded numbly and finished the cup of tea in one gulp. Putting the tea cup on the side he laid down in the bed and pulled the covers up to his chin.

"I'm so tired..." Draco murmured before he fell asleep. Harry quietly stood up and took the tea cup back downstairs. After putting the tea cup next to the sink he sat back down at his place at the table.

"Is Draco all right?" asked Lupin after Harry had sat back down.

"He's sleeping right now," said Harry quietly as if his words would wake Draco. "I thought it best to leave him to sleep for a little while."

"I... well... I'll be honest and say that his father and I didn't get along, but then you can't get along with everyone. And I've never wished his parents to be killed."

"Even if they were death eaters?"

"Even so Harry, they are people, and they are his parents."

"Were his parents. With all his parents have put him through..."

"Parents can put you through hell and it will still knock the wind out of you when you get word that they have died, or worse yet that they have been killed."

"But why? If they were so evil that he feared them... why would it still affect him so?"

"It's complicated Harry. While they may have been evil and awful to him, there are probably a few happy memories that he holds onto. A few moments where they actually showed him that they loved him. They can be evil as they want, and he'll be angry at them for it and then feel bad because of those few times that they showed him that they loved him. It's what makes abusive parents and their abused children so difficult to fathom."

"I'm worried that Voldemort will come after him."

"It is a possibility, especially now that he's with us and Voldemort killed his parents specifically to threaten Draco. It is something to consider."

"You won't make him leave?"

"By Merlin, no! This is one of the safest places he can stay. And as long as he is in danger I will make sure that he is protected here."

"He wants to fight Voldemort with me, but now that Voldemort has killed his parents I'm afraid he will want to get revenge and do something that will get him killed. I'm tired of death."

"Understandably, and you are far too young to be tired of death so soon. But that is how the times are. I'd wait to see what will happen. If he does want revenge, you could find a way to keep him hidden."

"How?"

"The Fidelius Charm could keep him hidden from Voldemort if it becomes necessary. I or one of us could be the secret keeper." Harry nodded at the people he trusted. "But let's just wait and see." They heard the door open and a ruffled Hermione appeared in the doorway looking pale. Harry rushed to her and held her tightly. Neither spoke, but neither had to. Everyone in the room sighed with relief that she was alive. As she sat down at the table she was filled in about Draco and his parents. She gave an exhausted sigh and leaned on George while eating her soup slowly.

"Diagon Alley was such a mess," she groaned. "I'm sorry about your shop boys." the twins nodded to her their thanks. "This has got to stop somehow."

"That's why I'm here," said Harry evenly. Hermione looked slightly surprised, but then the surprise disappeared and she nodded with a knowing look. "I'm tired of this too Hermione. I want this over with. We need a plan and we need to go out against him soon. We'll start on this tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?"

"Hermione, I'm exhausted, so is everyone else in this house including you. There's been enough death and destruction for one day. We need to rest, bury the dead, lick our wounds, and then we can regroup and get together a plan." Hermione seemed like she wanted to protest again, but then she stopped and leaned against George again. It seemed she was finally giving into the exhaustion eating away at everyone.

Silently everyone got up and moved to their rooms to sleep for the night. Harry locked the door and laid down on his bed a few feet from Draco. Looking over at Draco he saw the blond twitching in his sleep from a nightmare. Not caring who saw them in the morning, he slipped under the covers next to Draco in the same bed and held Draco until the twitching stopped and his breathing returned to normal.

"Tomorrow," whispered Harry, "tomorrow we will have plan, and we'll end this soon. I promise you."