A/N: This set right after Harry left Dumbledore office on chapter 36. Canon with DH but perhaps non-canon with the epilogue (I think). Oh and, wikipedia said this was happened around 1998, so I adjusted it. Oh and—I'm a big Dramione shipper and Draco x Harry lover (NOTHING slash though) so those might influenced this story a bit though I'm trying to be neutral. Total of 5 chapters for now I know, can be more. No pairings intended (except the obvious HG - RH), mostly Harry's POV, sometimes it's from a completely 3rd person POV (mine)

Thank you so much for my beta, IAmFortune'sFool ! You're awesome and helped me so much!! I'll definitely share my credit with you.

--I don't own Harry Potter--

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Harry left Dumbledore's office along with Ron and Hermione. Now that his anxious mind had been put at rest, drowsiness and exhaustion began to kick in. Ron and Hermione walked behind him in silence, preoccupied with what had just happened. Ron mumbled something like, "Such a powerful wand… come to such a waste..." Hermione took a disapproving look at him, but stayed quiet. Harry heard Ron, but felt too relieved to be reunited with his own wand to respond.

"It's brilliant, you know, what you just did," said Hermione. "Mending your wand that way. I didn't even think of it myself."

Harry gave a small smile. "I figured that if this Elder Wand is really special, it can do at least that." Actually, Harry hadn't known how bad the damage was – he wasn't sure of anything. But the result was more than satisfactory; it certainly doubled, perhaps even tripled, the reparo spell effect. Of course, he wouldn't expect less from a wand which drove Lord Voldemort himself into a frantic obsession.

The three of them walked in silence, passing the damaged alleyway to a staircase that led both down to the Great Hall and back to the Gryffindor dorm.

"What will you do now, Harry?" asked Hermione.

Harry paused for a moment. His eyes lingered on the staircase, his mixed emotions making him indecisive. He felt drained and exhausted – and no wonder, considering he and his two friends had been lacking of sleep for days. Not to mention the flight on the back of a wild dragon for hours, the life or death experience with a cursed flame in the Room of Requirement, and then the final fierce battle. And the deaths. The deaths of Fred, Lupin, Tonks, and dozens of others.

Fred. Oh Fred. Harry looked at Ron. He must be feeling awful. And Ginny too. And the rest of the Weasleys. He could turn around and go to sleep now. But somehow, he got the feeling that even if he went for a good nights sleep – well it was the morning actually, because the sun had already risen – his wandering thoughts and remaining adrenalin might foil his peaceful, dreamless nap.

"What are you guys gonna do?" he asked back.

Ron looked like a mess, with messy hair and a pale face. He exchanged a look with Hermione. "I think I'm going to my family first. They haven't told me what they will do with Fred's body – or Lupin's or Tonks', at that."

"I will talk to Kingsley, ask him if it's okay for us to call it a day. I think we agree that you, of all people, deserve some good rest now that Voldemort is dead." Hermione rubbed her eyes tiredly.

Harry's first thought was to agree with Hermione. The comfort of his own bed sounded like a very good idea. But then he thought of the atmosphere in the Great Hall, and how both or his friends, Hermione and Ron, would still be there, defying exhaustion and showing companionship with all the people who had been affected by that terrible final battle. He couldn't just go to sleep, not yet.

"I'll go with you." he said.

Hermione looked like she misheard Harry. "Are you sure? You did enough for tonight, don't you think?"

"It's fine. I'll live. I am the boy who lived, you know."

A smile slowly crossed Hermione's lips, suddenly she felt warm inside. She took two steps towards Harry and flung her arms around his neck, hugging him.

"I'm so… sooo relieved, Harry. Thank you." she whispered.

Harry's drowsiness reduced considerably by her gesture. With an awkward gaze towards Ron he chuckled and patted her on the back. "It's okay. I am okay."

After three seconds Hermione let Harry go. Slightly flushed, but soon recovered, she beckoned them to hurry before turning and walking past them. Harry put his invisibility cloak back on and placed both his wand and the Elder Wand safely under his robe. He and Ron followed. The three of them, two for anyone else, walked down the stairs and alleyways towards the Great Hall.

All the Death Eaters were goners. Some of them had been killed, some of them fled, but most of them had been rounded up and sent temporarily to Azkaban, waiting for their pending trials.

With exception for three people.

Harry spotted the three Malfoys huddled, isolated from the rest of the crowds, stood by the wall in the far end of the hall. Harry watched the three of them, feeling peculiar. He glanced to Ron and Hermione, who walked hand in hand towards the rest of the Weasley and the appointed temporary Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Harry hesitated for a while, but then parted himself and moved in the direction of the three Malfoys.

Lucius stood there, motionless. His eyes were unfocused, staring down at the floor. He had a face as white as his hair, with a stony expression of denial. Narcissa was sitting on a bench; there was a streak of tears on her cheek. She put one hand on her lap, holding her son's hands, and placing the other hand on his back. Draco was kneeling beside his mother, both of his hands wound tightly around hers, seeming childlike and frightened. He bowed with face down almost touching his hands, like he was attempting to hide. He looked like he had been sobbing, the tension of the war badly taking its toll upon him. Harry watched them with mixed emotions. He almost couldn't distinguish which emotions were his true feelings, and which were merely reactions. He never thought he would feel this way about the Malfoys, but... What a heartbreaking view.

Harry hesitated – he felt like he was witnessing a private moment, which made him uneasy. He looked around, not daring to face them. His thoughts drifted to the moment he saw Draco in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom one year ago. He remembered their brawl and the brutal violence of his sectumsempra spell along with seeing Draco Malfoy cry. He never thought a Malfoy could have burst into tears like that. Now he thought of it…what had made Draco cry back then?

Harry looked at him observantly. His face was full of sadness, anger, and something else he couldn't quite place. Was there regret? Or better – remorse? It looked like those were eyes of a person who had committed a selfish, foolish act, and had hated himself for it ever since. As surreal as the moment was, Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for Draco.

His thoughts were suddenly halted when he heard approaching footsteps. Up came Kingsley Shacklebolt, accompanied by some fellow Aurors.

"Lucius Malfoy." he greeted with a low voice. The effect of his voice was instant. Lucius snapped of whatever contemplation he was having, slowly but surely regaining his composure. Narcissa lifted her face, as beautiful as a marble statue, staring unwaveringly at Kingsley. Draco slowly got up to his feet and returned the stare, as fierce as ever.

"I must ask you to come with us."

Lucius didn't respond. For a time that felt like hours, he just stood there, staring into Kingsley eyes. The Malfoy pride, it seemed, was still evident.

When there was still no answer, Kingsley spoke. "We're going to escort you and your family to Azkaban today. The following trial will take place within seven days."

Though it didn't seem possible, the faces of the Malfoys turned paler with each word that crept out of Kinglsey's mouth. "No." Narcissa let out a small whisper. "No." she repeated, aghast. Draco looked like he had just been hugged by a Dementor: white, petrified, and lost for words; eyes full of disbelief and rejection. Lucius, however, after a long, reluctant pause, gave a slight nod. His lips were curled, his expression unreadable.

Harry could hear Narcissa gasping at the subtle movement her husband had just made. Draco's expression was horrified, but his voice was lost. He couldn't say anything. He could not fight it. He knew it was his fate. That everything he had ever done had surely come down to this.

The horrifying time he had spent in the last months at Malfoy Manor came flashing back. He had been living under the same roof with the Army of Darkness, not a day passing without him hearing screams from the tortured victims of witches and wizards opposing the Dark Lord. Those were the days when he felt his innards were upside down. He remembered he threw up more than once. He could never stand the sick atmosphere in his father's manor. But he was a Malfoy. More than that, he was a Death Eater.

The three Malfoys were escorted out of Hogwarts without much, if any, resistance. They walked to a portkey, temporarily positioned to connect the school with the Ministry. From there, they could travel along the underground tunnels to Azkaban.

Harry frowned. One fact made a clear point in his head. Narcissa had saved him. Narcissa Malfoy lied to Voldemort – it was the only reason he was able to come back to Hogwarts and finish the Dark Lord. If she hadn't lied to Voldemort, or if fate hadn't been friendly…had Voldemort sent a different Death Eater to check on him back then, he might not have survived it.

Dismissing his wandering thoughts, Harry took off his cloak and walked to Ron and the Weasleys. There was Ginny. Oh how he missed her terribly. Ginny noticed his presence, stood up and silently hugged him. Harry returned the hug, feeling warm and peaceful, safe, for the first time in many years.

It was like when Dumbledore had died. It was Ginny who had approached him and taken him away. Only her words, only her touch, could reach him. Now, after everything was over, he felt just the aftershock effect – waves and sensations of tremendous emotions crashing over him. The weight of the long-lasting travel of his Horcrux quest, the terrible fight he had with Ron, the dreadful silence with only him and Hermione in the woods, feeling lost about practically everything…the journey had seemed never-ending. Everything had come rushing in simultaneously. Harry felt heat in his eyes. He fought it. He only tightened his hug, and let his face burry under Ginny's silky, long, red hair.

After a moment, they parted. Rubbing his nose casually, careful not to act weird in front of eyes watching, he asked to no one in particular, "So how are we?"

It was Mr. Weasley that answered, though not immediately. "The Death Eaters have been taken care of. The last ones were the Malfoys. There are fifty-three victims from our side. Their families have been informed; some have already come to collect the remains. Some of them…some are still here…" Arthur's voice broke off with difficulty.

There was a pause. Ted Tonks were holding Andromeda's hands. "We will move Nymphadora, Lupin and Fred as soon as possible." he said with a more steady voice, "We might plan their ceremonial together."

"Where are you planning to…to hold the ceremonial?" Harry needed to push the words out. But as painful as it was, he had to ask. This time, Bill answered. "We have a piece of land on the hill near the Burrow. It is reserved as our family resting place for generations, since our grandfathers' time."

There was silence again. Harry looked at George, who was the most somber of them all. He did not cry, he was not angry, he did not… do, anything. He had a blank expression on his face, nothing more. Harry felt really terrible. George was hurt to the point where he could feel nothing. He had been shutting down. There was no trace of sadness or loss at all. And Harry knew that it was not a good sign.

"Well, kids, why don't you three go back to your dorm and have a good rest. We have enough aurors, teachers, and those official people from Ministry passing here and there every now and then. Not that there's a threat since the Dark Lord is dead now. I think we could do just fine and call it a day." said Mrs. Weasley, putting up a strained smile and urging the three of them to have a rest.

Harry obeyed. Ron was reluctant to leave his family, but Hermione took him by the hand and persuaded him. The three of them walked back to Gryffindor common room. They split up and Hermione went to her dorm, after kissing Ron good night and hugging Harry.

It was almost a year since their last visit to the dormitory, right after the last night of their sixth year. The place hadn't changed. The beds with their trunks, though obviously Harry's and Ron's bed had no trunks beside them, nor were Dean's and some others, were still there in a perfect condition, as always. The beds got bigger and bigger to fit their growth, starting from when they were kids until last year. Harry flung himself onto his bed, relieved. Beside him, he heard Ron doing the same. Closing his eyes, he soon fell asleep.

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A/N: thank you for reading!! ^o^ This will get more interesting, I promise!