Hi first chapter of a first story, very exciting.
Please be kind and I hope that you'll like.
English is not my first language, so I am very happy for you to point out spelling mistakes : )
Also, it is a while since I read the LoTR books so please do sent me a note if I get names or cities wrong…
Thanks Elerosse

Whispers

Harry swallowed hard, as the official ended the funeral service, and had to take a deep breath before glancing at the new tomb stones on the ground. The flowers he'd brought lay on the ground, stark white against the lush green grass.
Teddy made a noise of protest from his grandmother's arms and Harry watched as Andromeda wiped her eyes before smiling down shakily at her only grandchild.
Harry could still not get over the fact that Remus and Tonks were gone and that little Teddy was an orphan, like himself.

"It was a nice service, wasn't it?" Andromeda asked, catching his stare.

"Yeah." Harry mumbled, watching as Teddy's hair went seamlessly from blond to brown as the little boy watched him.
He'd not had that many chances to meet his godson yet but the boy seemed happy and content living with his grandmother who spoiled him rotten.
Andromeda seemed to find his presence a big comfort as she'd been left both childless and a widow, the war had been very cruel indeed to her.

Harry gave the gathered people a sweeping look, most belonged to the Order of Phoenix but there were a fair few Hogwarts students there as well.
Remus was well remembered as one of the good teachers by the student's, who'd had him during the year he'd been teaching. Then there were Tonk's friends as well, however Harry didn't know who they were as they'd left Hogwarts before he started his first year.

Harry was getting rather familiar with this graveyard, he'd been here several times in the past week for funeral services.
Fred's gravestone stood not far away and Harry watched as Mr and Mrs Weasley walked up to it. Their son's funeral had been only days ago and Harry felt sure that he wasn't the only one feeling rather numb at the moment.
So many people had died or gotten hurt, that it felt as if they'd be coming here regularly.

All was not bad of course, Voldemort was gone, his Deatheater's being rounded up and families were being reunited again.
Hermione was leaving for her parents as soon as things settled down, with Ron joining her for the journey.
Harry glanced at them as they stood holding hands, whilst talking to Neville.

Ginny appeared suddenly by his side, grabbing hold of his hand in a firm grip.
Harry startled slightly at her touch, he wasn't sure how he felt about them being a couple anymore and it was making him very uncomfortable, especially as Ginny was showing quite clearly that she still had strong feelings for him.
Harry didn't want to make things weird with her family either and so felt rather trapped.

They started moving towards the exit gate and Harry gave Andromeda and Teddy a last look.
The baby's hair had gone as red as the soft toy he was holding and his grandmother was stroking it with a soft look on her face. Andromeda had a friend staying over for company and looked as if she'd be well taken care of, not that Harry worried too much as she was very able to look after herself.
He'd had a good talk with her before the funeral and they were scheduled to meet again in a week's time. Harry wanted to make sure that he was a regular presence in little Teddy's life.

"Are you coming home with us Harry?" Ginny asked, as they got nearer to the gate.
Harry shook his head slowly and ignored the look of disappointment that appeared on her face, as he'd known it would.
He'd been staying over at the Weasley's house since the end of the war, as Mrs Weasley had asked him to. He hadn't had the heart to say no as she was grieving Fred, George had shut himself up in the shop and only came for dinners under threat of being dragged home.
Ginny had been stuck to him like glue, not that he'd minded at first as it stopped him from thinking too much about everything that had happened, but it was getting a bit awkward now that he was unsure of his feelings.

He just wanted a little space, some quiet time alone.
"I need to go and check out Grimmauld place, I want to get the place sorted and decide if I'm keeping it or not." Harry said, watching as her face lit up.

"I could help you, four hands are better than two." She said with a smile, brushing some flyaway hair away from her face.

"I think I'd like to do it on my own, if that's alright." Harry mumbled, feeling a bit mean as her face fell once again.
She nodded quietly and cast a look at her parents, who were following at a slower pace behind them.

"I'm sure mum would like it if you came for dinner at least." She said, giving him a soft look.
Harry nodded hesitantly even though he really didn't want to meet any people for a while, not even family.
He loved the Weasley's, dearly, but it always overwhelmed him somewhat when he was there and as every member of the family was at home at the moment, it felt as if staying away was the best thing to do.
Ginny seemed to catch his uncertainty and gave him a somewhat tired look. She looked as if she wanted to say something before changing her mind and staying quiet.

"I'll be in touch." Harry said, stepping aside as they walked through the gate. He gave Ron and Hermione a wave before Apparating away, he'd be seeing them soon again and they knew that he wanted some alone time.

After two short days of general tidying and sorting out his godfather's house, Harry felt a bit more willing to brave the company of others.

Ron and Hermione had been round the day before, just to check in about today and chat about their journey to Australia in a couple of weeks' time.
Hermione was a bundle of nerves and seemed to alternate between being afraid to go and barely able to contain herself from leaving this very second.
Ron was rather excited to go as well and had even done some research, jumping over the parts about the local wildlife.

Harry Apparated from the doorstep of Grimmauld place and appeared close to the ministry of magic. He entered the phone booth and was soon walking through the Ministry atrium. He was used to the stares and whispers now and ignored the people turning their heads to watch the march of the chosen one.
Hermione spotted him first and nudged Ron, who gave him a wave. The newly appointed Minister of magic, Shacklebolt turned and gave Harry a nod in greeting.

"Harry, nice to see you again, I hear that you are here for the Malfoy trials too." The Minister said, shaking his hand, knowing full well that Harry had been meaning to come.

"Yes, well Malfoy and his mum did help out in their own way." Harry said, ignoring the snort from Ron.
Hermione gave her boyfriend a sharp look and Ron swallowed hard before eyeing the floor.

"Draco was very nice to me whilst I was a captive there." A voice proclaimed, behind Harry.
Luna and her father had made it over, both looking as odd as they usually did. Mr Lovegood gave the trio a guilty look before turning on the minister.

"Hello Minister, do you have a comment on how many new vampires the ministry has allowed to be created? I heard that some of your own staff have been petitioning for permission to change, do you have any comments on the rumours." Mr Lovegood said, quill at the ready. Shacklebolt gave a small crocked smile, but surprisingly managed to keep his face serious as he eyed the publisher.

"Why don't we walk to the courtroom together Mr Lovegood, you can ask your questions on the way down?" Kingsley said, motioning for Mr Lovegood to follow.

"Daddy has been working round the clock lately, The Quibbler is doing ever so well at the moment and we're printing more copies than ever before." Luna said proudly, watching him and the Minister move towards the lift.

"What is today's most important article to read in your opinion?" Hermione asked suddenly, giving Harry a quick look of apology.

Luna gave her a quick stare as if to check that Hermione really wanted to know the answer before speaking.
"The one which takes up the common misconception that Harry is completely human still, well in the same sense as the rest of us." Luna answered, giving Harry a thoughtful stare.
Harry blinked and opened his mouth before closing it again, he wasn't sure he wanted her to elaborate on the topic.

"What is he then?" Ron asked, eyeing Harry with a wicked look in his eyes, clearly enjoying himself on Harry's behalf.

"Oh, we are not entirely sure what race, but we do know that he is a really alive thing." Luna answered vaguely, putting her head on the side, still observing Harry thoughtfully.

"A really alive thing?" Ron echoed, smiling broadly at the look of consternation that appeared on Harry's face.

"The Quibbler argues that Harry was born alive like the rest of us, then became alive in a half-dead way and now is alive in a he-won't-ever die-way." Hermione said, making them all stare at her instead of Luna.

"I didn't know that you read daddy's paper Hermione, I'll make sure that you get it at the friends discount price." Luna said, looking rather pleased at finding out that Hermione had been converted.
Hermione gave her a small smile in return, ignoring Harry and Ron's twin looks of shock.

"What does that mean exactly? Is he or isn't he alive" Ron asked, pressing the lift button.

"I think it's pretty obvious that I'm alive Ron." Harry muttered.

"Oh, I don't know. Every now and then you go kind of invisible and…hey!" Ron jumped back at Harry's quick swat.

"I guess I'm pretty solid for a non-alive thing." Harry said, stepping into the lift with a smile.

"Oh, we don't think that you're dead at all anymore Harry, we're pretty sure that you're really alive." Luna hurried to point out.
Ron couldn't help but chuckle at Harry's face, but wisely chose to be quiet.

They stepped out of the lift and Harry hurried to the stairs that would lead them to the courtroom.
The trials were held in courtroom ten, the same room that Harry had been tried in for under age magic against the Dementors.
It was packed with people, most no doubt there to see justice served and the room was abuzz with whispers.
Harry was there because he felt that he should be, both Malfoy and his mother had after all tried to help him, albeit in their own self-serving way.
Malfoy when refusing to confirm Harry's identity and Mrs Malfoy when checking to see if he really was dead.
The trial started and the room quieted down. Draco was the first to go on trial and Harry was taken aback at the other man's appearance. Malfoy looked as if he'd lost half his body weight in the short time since the war ended.

Kingsley made sure that the tone in the courtroom stayed neutral as he had The Malfoy's account for their actions during the war.
The Wizengamot members had been kept busy since the fall of Voldemort, with many trials already held.
Draco walked to the chair and Harry watched as the manacles took a firm grasp of his wrists, when he was seated. He remembered the feeling of being seated there and couldn't help the small sliver of pity that sneaked into his heart.
The blond boy accounted for his parts in the war in a quiet voice, which still seemed to carry round the room.

Harry when called, gave witness of both Draco and Mrs Malfoy's actions and then sat down feeling relieved that it was over. Mrs Malfoy had given him an even look as he stepped down from the witness booth.
He listened as Luna and Mr Ollivander added their account and was not too surprised when the youngest Malfoy got away with nothing but a warning.
Mrs Malfoy was given a house arrest order and had to pay a hefty fine.
She had never been marked as a Deatheater but as she hadn't given her husband up for arrest or stopped the actions that had happened in the house, as well as harbouring fugitives she had been given the house arrest as punishment.

Mr Malfoy on the other hand was given a prison sentence, to be served in Azkaban.
This time he hadn't been able to talk or buy himself out of it, Mrs Malfoy had looked resigned when the sentence had been read out. Harry felt fairly sure that they had expected the sentence, even if they no doubt had hoped for a miracle.

Harry made it out of the courtroom without too many stops, although still too slowly for his taste.
A few comments to the reporters and then he was free to wade through the handshakes and congratulations that seemed to follow him wherever he went nowadays.

Hermione and Ron had made it out much quicker than him and stood waiting outside in the corridor with Luna.

"Well that's that then." Ron said, pulling at his robe in a dejected manner. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and gave him a pointed stare, they had obviously been talking about something before Harry joined them.
"What? Ferret got away didn't he? I still say that a few weeks in the hellhole might have done him well." Ron protested at her look, making Harry sigh.
Ron had been rather against going to Malfoy's trial and specifically witnessing in Malfoy's favour.
Hermione had given in a written statement but Ron had refused to do anything that would be considered as helping the blond.

"Draco was as kind to me as he could." Luna said, focusing her eyes on Ron, who looked away with a scowl.
The friends were quiet for a moment and Harry eyed the others strangely before shaking his head.

"Are you ok Harry?" Hermione asked, ever attentive.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just…er…nothing." Harry muttered, shifting uncomfortably, he could swear that he heard whispering from somewhere near.
"Can you hear it?" He asked finally, not being able to see anyone near, making Hermione shake her head slowly.

"Hear what?" She asked, moving closer. Ron eyed him nervously and gave the corridor they were standing in a good inspection. .
"What are you hearing Harry?" She asked when he failed to respond.

"Whispering." Harry muttered, feeling ridiculous.

"Nobody is whispering." Ron said, eyeing him strangely.
"Could it be a snake?" He asked, eyeing the floor rather nervously.

"Maybe it's from the veil." Luna said, making Harry's head turn towards her quickly.
He took a step backwards at the mere thought of the veil, which his godfather had passed through.
"You travelled to the land of the dead again, perhaps you can hear them more clearly now." Luna theorised.

"Right, I'm leaving." Harry muttered, giving the other three a dark look.
Luna gave him a disappointed look, clearly wanting to discuss the veil matter further but gave him a small wave anyway.

"Harry! Do you have a minute?" Kingsley called, stepping out of the courtroom door, making Harry stop mid step.
Harry nodded reluctantly, he wanted to leave the ministry and the sooner the better.
Kingsley motioned for the stairs and Harry gladly made for them with Hermione and Ron following. Luna was waiting for her father to come out, no doubt they'd have another article out about him, Harry mused somewhat irritated even though he knew that Luna meant no harm.
"I was wondering what your future plans are, does being an Auror still seem interesting to you?" The minister asked as the descended the stairs, making Harry bite his lip. He had hoped to not have this conversation so soon.
"That goes for the two of you as well of course." Kingsley added to Hermione and Ron.

Harry knew that Ron would take Kingsley up on the offer and that Hermione wouldn't.
The redhead had already discussed the possibility with Harry of them applying together, what with their experience. Hermione was already set for going back to Hogwarts, having talked it through with Professor McGonagall.

Harry wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. Everything he'd been so sure about during the war, was now a big jumble of uncertainties.
Ginny, becoming an Auror, well everything really.

"I want the job." Ron said quickly, when it became clear that Harry was in no hurry to answer.
He gave Harry, who was staring at the lift button intently, a strange look.

"I don't know." Harry said finally, making them all stare.
He stepped into the lift when the doors slid open and rubbed his neck feeling confused.

"The answer doesn't need to be given today Harry, why don't you take some time to think about it. Merlin knows you've done more than enough already." Kingsley said calmly, not at all fazed by Harry's answer.

"But you always wanted to become an Auror." Ron said, sounding shocked that Harry wasn't jumping at the chance.
Harry nodded and closed his eyed, to get away from the somewhat accusing look in Ron's brown eyes.

"Maybe you just need some quiet time Harry, come with us to Australia it'll be like a little holiday." Hermione urged, making Ron's face brighten and he nodded fervently at his girlfriend's wise words.
Harry shrugged, stepping out into the atrium.

"Let me know when you've decided Harry, the offer stands for as long as need." Kingsley said pressing the lift button, making Harry nod.

"You want to be an Auror Harry!" Ron said forcefully, looking down at Harry intently. Harry shrugged again, making it over to the visitors lift quickly.

"Ron stop it! He doesn't have to fight any more if he doesn't want to." Hermione snapped, making Ron stiffen.

"What else would he do?" He asked, making Harry's heart clench.

"Anything he wants of course." Hermione said softly, stepping closer to Harry so that they all fitted in the booth. Ron eyed them confused, as if the mere thought of there being something else for them to do was unthinkable.

They parted somewhat stiffly, Harry apparating back to Grimmauld place and Ron and Hermione for the Burrow.

Harry stepped through the door, feeling as if a heavy weight had been placed on his shoulders again.
Kreacher popped into existence and offered to take Harry's cloak.
The house-elf had been adamant that he was returning with Harry to the Noble House of Black, rather than staying at Hogwarts and Harry, who wasn't that bothered by the elf's presence, had accepted the elf's choice.

"Does master want Kreacher to bring him something to eat or drink?" Kreacher asked, watching as Harry sat down with a heavy sigh by the kitchen table.

"No I'm fine thank you Kreacher." Harry responded, putting his head in his hands tiredly.
The elf left him to his thoughts and Harry sighed again, he was just so tired.
He had been feeling odd ever since the battle had ended, as if he was present but not quite here.
Maybe Luna was right in thinking that something inside of him had changed, although he doubted that he was anything but human.

Or perhaps he just needed a holiday like Hermione suggested, some time away from everything and everybody. He just didn't know anything, anymore.

So what do you think of my first chapter. Has it made you want to read more?
Still in Britain but we will soon be on our way.
Many thanks for reading.
Elerosse