A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters or places from that universe. This was supposed to be a short start to a Harry Potter/Green Lantern cross over that I got the idea to start putting together last night. Instead this developed a life of its own from the end of the first paragraph. It was by far the easiest thing I have written to date and I rather like it. I might leave it as a one shot or might continue it. Let me know what you think after reading it.

Seventeen year old Harry Potter stood not seeing in the wreckage of the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Voldemort's body lay dead before him, all of his horcruxes destroyed, he would not be coming back this time. He couldn't believe it was over; after almost two decades of war out of thirty years the Second Blood War had ended with heavy losses on both sides. Rationally he knew that they had won but looking back at all of the good people who had died for them to get there, Harry wasn't entirely convinced it was worth it.

A soft hand came to rest on his shoulder. He knew who it was without even turning around because only she would seek him out in the middle of these celebrations and all the mourning. "We did the right thing you know," she said, "I know it is hard to understand how much good you and by extension the rest of us have done over the past year during the hunt. How it seems we abandoned the Wizarding world when you were needed most but because we did that, that thing that thought itself a man," she spat hatefully, "Is dead and now can start to rebuild. We can put these dark times behind us and look forward."

"And how long do you think it will take for the public to forget why we even had to fight this stupid war?" Harry interrupted her suddenly, clearly frustrated, "They obviously didn't learn the last time when it fell to an infant to end a war that had been going on for over ten years at that point or the time before that when a madman used the Nazis as a front to take over almost the entirety of Europe before anything was really done about him and even then he was left to live out his days in a jail he had built to house his opponents."

"I know it looks bleak now but this war hasn't even been over for ten minutes. Let's try to think positive or at least hold judgment until things have had a chance to change."

"Hermione, there have been three major Wizarding wars in the past century the last two of which have all but wiped out the magical population of the United Kingdom. Families that had survived entire royal lines and have been here since before this was even a country were eradicated. My own family which can trace its heritage back to or before the arrival of the Roman Empire depending on the accounts is down to me. The manor which has housed my family since the high middle ages, over SIX HUNDRED YEARS and countless generations of Potters and Peverells and names far older was destroyed by that man!" He screamed the last while gesturing towards Riddle's dead body which had as yet not been touched, "and others like him have endangered the Wizarding world far more than any muggles or muggleborns have or could ever have done. So please don't tell me that things will get better now."

At the end of his rant Harry seemed to deflate. Lightly pulling on his shoulder turning him towards her, Hermione caught a quick look at his eyes. They were so different from what she usually saw, there was no mischief or happiness in them all that existed in his eyes at that moment was pain and sadness. She was so shocked by what she saw that she didn't fully realize that he had shrugged out of her grasp and had moved away until she caught sight of his unruly black hair as he turned out of the Great Hall.

She started to go after him only to be stopped in her tracks by someone calling out her name, "Hermione!" Ron called out to her. She turned to him as he approached; he grasped her arm when he finally got to her. "Where are you off to?" he asked.

"I'm going to find Harry"

"Why do you need to find him?" Ron asked confusedly

"Because he needs me, needs us, right now" she corrected herself. Her eyes pleaded with Ron to understand but he simply remained confused as always.

"Why does he need us right now? He just won! We will never have to deal with Voldemort and his Slytherin cronies again." Ron said excitedly

"And at what cost? Look behind you" She gestured to the place where Remus and Tonks lay, "That for all intents and purposes is the last of Harry's family right there"

"What are you talking about?" Ron interrupted her, "He's got us; he knows he is always welcome at the burrow. He's practically part of the family and now that all this mess is over he and Ginny will get back together and soon he will actually be part of the family" he stated with confidence.

Hermione just shook her head, he wasn't getting it "No, Ron, think for just one moment. What was Remus' nickname?" "Mooney, we've known that since third year. Why are you asking me such a dumb question?" "Because Ronald he was infamous during his time as a student for being part of what group?"

"The Marauders, along with Sirius, Harry's Dad, and the rat" he stated tiredly wondering when she was going to get to the point.

"So the last of his Dad's best friends from his time at Hogwarts and the only remaining friend his Godfather had after being falsely imprisoned for betraying his best friend, his best-friend's wife and his godson to one of the darkest wizards in history is laying there dead along with his wife who was also his Godfather's cousin. Please tell me how if you were an only child that lost your parents at a young age, grew up with relatives that clearly barely tolerated you at best, that had to spend what should have been the happiest years of your life learning about magic trying to live through continuous and yearly deadly situations and being hunted by the same man that killed your parents knowing that you are the only person in the world that can kill him. Actually managing to kill him only to find out that nearly everyone you cared about died while you were trying to do so. How would you feel right now?" With that she yanked her arm out of his grasp and hurried out the doors of the great hall before he could collect himself.

When Harry saw Hermione freeze up after looking into his eyes he knew he had to act before she gathered herself. Quickly shrugging off her hand he slipped out of the Great Hall. He knew she would come for him, she always did. She always knew when he needed help or just needed someone to talk to but right now he didn't want to talk with anyone, at least no one alive.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Ron call Hermione's name knowing that Ron would be too obtuse and stubborn to let her just go and find him at least not right away. Harry side-stepped into a secret passageway that few knew about it wasn't even on the Marauders Map, a fact that made him incredibly proud, he had actually been able to find somewhere in Hogwarts that his father and his friends hadn't even been about to find in seven years even with their wonderful map. It was just one thing on a long list of topics he wanted to be able to talk to his parents or at least Serious or Remus about.

With no real place in mind Harry began to wander the halls of the ancient school, confident in his ability to avoid any and all people due to his knowledge of the building. With perhaps the exception of George, who had better things to do at the moment than find Harry, he knew the school better than any other person alive if he had to place a bet. The ghosts and the house elves of course would know it better but again they better things to be dealing with at the moment than finding one person in the destroyed castle.

'Now what? Voldemort is dead, I guess I can finally do whatever I want to but the question is what do I want to do? Should I go back and finish school? Do I even need to at this point? Is there a point without knowing what I should study for what I will do afterwards? Of course there is also Teddy to consider, I should go see Andromeda tomorrow, figure out what needs to be done' Harry continued thinking about these same issues until a voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"You need to find something else to dedicate you time to." He turned to find Luna. Her hair was dirty with blood and dust in it, her face was smeared with soot and small scratches likely from stones from the building exploding and sending shards of stone everywhere. "It doesn't particularly matter what you choose to dedicate yourself to from here on out. For now you can just go through the motions, you might even be able to do that for a year or two but eventually this," she gestured around, "the death, the destruction, the hate, and everything will eat you up inside. I don't want to lose one of the few friends I have because they were too stubborn to ask for help" she finished gently. During her little speech she had stepped closer to him, now she raised her hand up and cupped his cheek, "Please ask for help. It does not mean that you are weak, it means that you are strong enough and wise enough to know that no one can go through life alone." Almost as suddenly as she had appeared she dropped her hand, turned and walked away a dreamy expression once again on her face.

"Any suggestions of what I dedicate myself to?" he called after her.

She turned back and gave what was probably the brightest smile he had ever seen on her face as she said, "It doesn't matter that much, but make it great, make it grand, even if it is something small because that is the only way you will ever be able to do anything. It just isn't in you to do something halfway and this will be no different so make it count. Change the world one more time but this time do it on your own terms and for no other reason than you want to." With that she started to walk away again. "Oh and take the next left, you will find what you need" she called over her shoulder once again dreamy.

Shaking his head Harry turned back the way he had been going before he had had his little talk, if it could be called a talk and not a lecture, and began his musings once again. Without even thinking he heeded Luna's advice and turned left at the next opportunity, and ran smack into Hermione who had obviously been running about the castle looking for him. Colliding they both fell to the ground.

She opened to her mouth to say something but he beat her to the punch, "Why aren't you with Ron? I would think after your little display of affection earlier you would have stayed in there with him." Hermione thought she heard just the barest trace of hurt and anger in his question but put it up to him just being upset about everything that had happened in the past day.

"I thought I should be with the person who needs me more right now" she stated simply, "He has his family with him, he will be fine. I'm more worried about you Mr. I'll-go-off-on-my-and-brood" she glared pointedly at him at the last part.

Harry didn't bother responding verbally knowing it would just lead to an argument he didn't want to have right now, besides she would win anyways, she always did. Instead he just scooted over next to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry and thank you, for everything" He quietly whispered in her ear.

She just smiled and buried her head into his chest hugging him back, a few minutes later she whispered back, "Always, anytime, anywhere."

They stayed in that abandoned corridor for the rest of the day. They didn't speak, they didn't need to. As always they could say more with just a look than they could with all the words in the world. If a picture was worth a thousand words then a look to them was worth all of them. They finally got up off the floor as the sun began to set throwing long beams of light through the windows that looked out over the black lake.

As they set off towards the Great Hall to rejoin the others and pay their respects to the dead and help however they could they were met with twin growls from their stomachs that caused them to almost fall back down laughing, and maybe get some food too.

So should I continue this? Leave a review or visit my profile where I have poll and let me know that way. I might continue anyways because I do have some ideas that I want to use that came to me while writing this.

-Runner