"I've had enough trouble for a life time."
It was true. Harry Potter had been through so much in his short life time. He had gone through things many people would never even dread to consider. As he stood in Dumbledore's old office with his two best friends and looked around at the smiling portraits, the realization of what had just happened began to hit him.
Lord Voldemort was dead. Lord Voldemort's reign was over and the pain he had caused so many people could begin to heal. Lord Voldemort was dead because Harry had defeated him.
A mixture of feelings coursed through Harry's body as he thought this through. Exhilaration, relief, happiness were some of the feelings that he experienced. But he also felt remorse, guilt and an overwhelming sadness for the people who had died trying to protect Harry, trying to fight Voldemort and his supporters, trying to protect their families…
The pain of losing Lupin, Tonks and Fred was unbearable. Harry closed his eyes.
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger stood beside him, both lost in their own thoughts. The excited murmurings of the people in the portraits around them awoke them from their dazes. Ron's eyes glistened with tears and Hermione gently slid her small hand into his. She looked up at him though her tear glistening eyelashes and let out a tiny sob.
Ron hastily wiped his eyes. "He wouldn't have wanted us to be sad," he muttered, his voice husky. Hermione's tears slid down her cheeks. "He's probably laughing at us, wherever he is now," she said, smiling sadly.
Harry placed his hand on Ron's back. "Fred was the best type of person there was," he said, looking straight at Ron, who nodded, tears sliding down his long nose.
Hermione walked over to the window and opened it as wide as it could go. Sounds immediately filled the small, circular room. The delighted cries of people celebrating the end of Voldemort on the grounds of the school. The shrieking sobs of the people grieving for loved ones. The frantic running of the house elves as they happily ran in and out of the castle with plates of food for the people.
It was a sorrowful yet beautiful sight.
The sun had risen properly now and had cast the sky with a warm orange glow. A few clouds glided lazily through the sky, as if they too, were just after finishing a long and hard battle.
"I think we should get some sleep," muttered Harry. The thought of his warm, cosy bed in Gryffindor tower was very tempting at the moment. He also knew that Ron needed time alone. He needed time to grieve for Fred.
Hermione nodded. "You'll be needing your sleep, Harry," she said, shadows of her old bossiness showing though. Harry smiled, remembering. "They'll all want your story tomorrow. How you did it and all…" she finished, clearing her throat. Ron nodded.
"Yeah, sleep sounds good," he sighed. The three made their way to the door of Dumbledore's office. Ron and Hermione left first, Ron saying he hopes Kreacher is around to make him a sandwich. Hermione frowned at him.
"Ron, Voldemort has just been defeated, I'm sure Kreacher might be a little busy celebrating to be worrying about your stomach," she snapped. "I'm sure he won't mind," came Ron's slightly more cheerful reply. "Kreacher loves us."
Harry grinned at the backs of his two friends as they went down stairs. Even after the most evil wizard in the world was defeated, they still found something to argue about.
He paused in the doorway of the office and turned around. He took in the many silver objects that littered the room. He smiled back at all the portraits telling him how grateful they were.
His eyes found the stone Pensieve on the desk and then the portrait of the person he most wanted to say something too. Dumbledore's half-moon spectacles glistened as a ray of sunshine hit the painting. Dumbledore smiled at Harry and a tear slid down his long crooked nose.
Harry grinned back at him. "Thanks, for everything, sir," he said. Dumbledore winked at him. Without even thinking about what he intended to do, Harry walked over to the window.
He looked down onto the grounds at the many people below him. He saw Professor McGonagall, shaking hands with a parent of one of the students. He saw Neville Longbottom, still holding the sword of Gryffindor. He saw, with a leap of his heart, Ginny leading a small first year girl over to her frantic parents, her long red hair radiant as it shined in the sun. He saw Professor Sprout treating the wounds of the injured with mandrake juice. He saw the crowds of witches and wizards rejoicing at the defeat of their enemy.
Harry smiled down at all these people. He lifted his newly fixed wand, feeling the familiar wood against his fingers and pointed it up into the sky. A shower of sparks flew out of his wand and exploded into the sky.
The people below looked up in shock, and then started cheering. They couldn't see Harry because he had backed away from the window, but he sent more sparks flying out. The blue sky was soon full of exploding colourful sparks and the people below rejoiced the end of Voldemort.
When he was finished, Harry walked towards the door. With one last look at the room, Harry walked out the door and closed it behind him. He called out to Ron and Hermione that he was on his way.
Yeah, he thought to himself. Sleep does sound good right now.