Title: After
Author: fairytalemanipulator
Summary: Two days after the Great War, and the world was reeling and celebrating at the same time. This is the story of the Golden Trio and the ones they love, making it through the dark and the light after the war.
Rating: PG
Genre: A little angsty, a little funny, and hopefully very realistic
Spoilers: Very canon (and possibly very long fic, too) about everything after the war, so most likely will include lots from 6th and 7th books
Pairings: All canon
Disclaimer: Don't own HP. JK does. She's cool.
Read and review, and enjoy! Love from your fairytalemanipulator
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Two days after the Great War, and the world was reeling and celebrating at the same time.
The catastrophic losses and the victorious wins were so unbalanced on the scale of life that there was no way to get around to every emotion the witches and wizards of the magical world were feeling.
There was, however, the chaos and confusion that whirled around the small group of people, known to the rest of the world as the side that fought the Dark. The Order of the Phoenix. The heroes.
To each other, they were simply family.
This is the story of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and the others that gave everything for their cause.
This is how they went on with life right after the war.
This is their story.
Harry stared. His eyes bore into the parchment fluttering wildly on Ron's desk at the Burrow, the wind from the open window catching everything in its way.
Hogwarts After the Siege
Followers of Destroyed Dark Wizard Rounded Up by the Dozens
Boy Who Lived Requests Privacy, Solitude, in Time of Celebration and Mourning
"Daily Prophet sure knows what's going on now, doesn't it," Ron's voice caught Harry by surprise, as he turned at the speed of light, whipping out his wand as he went.
Ron's eyes went wide.
"Sorry, mate," Harry coughed to cover up his moment of fear, gesturing to the paper. "Guess Kingsley's in charge now, yeah? He won't have any sort of rubbish from the Daily Prophet, I bet,"
Ron chose to follow Harry's route of avoiding the incident, choosing to reply to his statement. "Good thing too, we don't need any more Fudges, making the papers ask us exactly what happened,"
"No one wants to know exactly what happened in the last year, Ron, except the people that want to have the nightmares that Hermione's been having," Harry murmured darkly, his eyes boring holes into the paper.
"Kingsley's asking for a formal report though; it isn't going to be too specific, how can it be…like you said, no one wants to know exactly what happened," Ron said quietly, staring up at the ceiling.
"Yeah, did you hear that they're building a huge memorial at the Ministry and Hogwarts as soon as possible?" Harry turned the page of the paper, and smiled sadly at the pictures that stared back at him, smiling and waving. Lupin and Tonks, Fred, Colin Creevey…Dumbledore…Snape…
"Too strange, isn't it," Ron took a seat on his bed, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's only been two days. Two days. Since you—since we—" Ron rubbed his eyes furiously. "Since Fred--"
Harry looked up guiltily. In the time following the attack at Hogwarts and the destruction of the world's most feared dark wizard, he had almost forgotten about the misery that the Weasley family was going through. His mind had been suspiciously blank, and his dreams eternally empty. Had he even slept? Hasn't hit home yet. Nothing seems real.
"Ron."
Ron looked up, his eyes unsettlingly red. "Mate, I just don't know anymore…George isn't himself, Mum's in bed all the time, Dad can't keep us together, and Gin…"
Ginny.
"Hermione's trying, Harry," Ron continued, wiping his eyes. "But how much can she do, she's still a mess, she wants to find her parents but she doesn't want to leave us now—and I heard Tonks's mum here last night, talking to Percy about what to do with Lupin's house…Teddy…"
Tears pricked at Harry's eyes at the thought of the young orphan. He hadn't cried yet; he couldn't find the strength. Once he started, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop.
"We have to plan Fred's...Fred's funeral…and we have to go to all the others, too, and then the Ministry's still asking questions about Snape and what was going on with him,"
At this, Harry looked up, anger evident in his eyes. "What do you mean, still asking questions? I told them everything. He was innocent. He was working for us, he was working for Dumbledore, all because of my mum! How much more do they need to know? Breathing down our necks like we're still in the war and Scrimgeour wants to know about the Horcruxes again…"
Ron let Harry rant, and when he was done, they both exchanged a look.
"We have to stick together during this. All of us," Harry sighed, wiping his eyes and the strange moisture that was forming there. "And Ginny…" Harry stopped there, looking around the room in an attempt to focus on something else. He had been avoiding her since the end of the war, he had been hectically busy with press and Ministry questions, Weasley family matters and arrangements. He knew that if he had a moment alone with her, he would be on his knees confessing his love to her. My Ginny. Beautiful, darling…
"Harry,"
"Yeah,"
"You love her, don't you,"
"I do."
"Now would be a great time to tell her," Ron said, waving his hand in front of Harry's face. "Earth to Harry, war's over. V-He Who Must Not Be Named is gone. Now's the time, mate!"
"Ron, there's still so much though…with Fred, and everyone else, we still have so much to deal with. I don't want to pressure her for anything."
Ron sighed. "We're going to get through this, right?"
Harry once again looked down at the paper, at the happy smiling faces of the couples and friends that didn't know what was coming for them. Friends and family, all gone…all because of Him.
But He's gone now, too.
He straightened up, brows furrowed in decision. "We're going to get through this,"