The Missing Years

Chapter 1- What Happens Now!?!

Harry stood in the middle of Dumbledore's office with too many thoughts running through his head to make sense of any of them. He needed to sleep, then he could talk, he was sure he would be made to eventually and he felt he may as well start his many tellings of the past year with the people he most cared for- Ron, Hermione, the Weasley's- well one Weasley in particular, Ginny. He wanted to run from the room he was currently confined in and hold her. It was all he had wanted since Bill and Fleur's wedding. Just to hold her, take in everything about her, every tiny detail of her beautiful face, even her smell- that smell he had noticed when he first saw love potion. The scent of Ginny.

He turned around and saw his two dearest friends standing looking at him. It was only now that he realised that he had stopped half way towards the door that would lead back to reality so he could think. He sent a smile in their direction and was surprised that after everything that had happened tonight, that it came naturally. Whether or not his friends noticed, he didn't know. He nodded and continued walking. Things were going to be okay now, he could feel it.

The trio reached the bottom of the spiral staircase Harry had used so many times in his sixth year, where the biggest part of his destiny had taken place- in the office above them now he had been praised, he had grieved, and he had learnt of the prophecy and learned what he had to do to once and for all defeat Voldemort- he had learned that he would have to die.

He took a deep breath and turned around to face Ron and Hermione. They were standing close together with the backs of their hands only centimetres apart. Harry smiled, leaned over and placed their hands in one another's. They looked at him with opened mouths and Harry only laughed.

"Now is the time" He said to them, still smiling.

This time they smiled back and Harry distinctly saw their grip tighten on each other.

"We should probably get some rest now, right?" Asked Ron with a glance at both of them to make sure he had said the right thing- a habit that he had formed ever since he had rejoined them halfway through their search for the horcruxes. Hermione only smiled and nodded. Ron looked relieved as he always did.

"First of all though, I think that you two should find the Weasleys, make sure everyone's okay," At that comment he noticed Hermione's knowing glance at him "Also, I need you to let your mum know that I'm O.K Ron, 'cause there is no doubt in my mind that she'll be worrying herself sick about me" Ron nodded with a small smile and so Harry continued "Just let them all know that I needed rest, and tell them that I'll talk to everyone in the morning, but don't stay too long, you both need your rest as well. Oh and make sure that they get to bed too."

Giving Ron and Hermione orders came naturally to him now, although he was reluctant at the start of their quest. He looked at them both for confirmation that they would do as he asked when Ron asked,

"Why don't you just come down to The Great Hall with us for a couple of minutes mate, 'cause mum will need to see for herself that your okay before she'll calm down?" He grinned as Harry and Hermione laughed,

"Ron obviously, Harry would love to come down with us but just look at him- he looks like he's about to drop dead of exhaustion. Plus there's probably millions of reporters from the daily prophet down there and I know that's the last thing he needs right now."

She looked over at Harry and he gave her a brilliant smile of thanks. At that point it finally washed over Ron and Hermione like it had Harry a few moments ago that it was over. It was the first time either of them had seen him truly smile in a long time. His smile was infectious and soon all three of them were just standing there with huge smiles plastered all over their faces before Harry finally broke the silence,

"Thank you." He said "Thank you for everything both of you have ever done for me."

And with that he stepped forward and embraced both of them in a huge hug. He broke away to find Hermione in tears and Ron standing next to her with a goofy grin on his face which Harry was sure he was mirroring at that moment. He turned around and walked away towards the portrait of the fat lady where he would call Kreacher, and get food, and fall asleep happily, without worrying what tomorrow would bring for the first time in a very long time.

.---------

As they watched their best friend walk away, happy but tired, they took a moment to take in what had actually happened. Ron and Hermione looked at the devastation around them. Down the corridor facing them was a massive hole in the wall that showed a beautiful scene of the lake with a star strewn sky above it- had it not been for the fact that there was something seriously wrong with there being a huge hole in one of the castle's walls, it would have been a very romantic sight.

Ron quickly noticed that he and Hermione were still holding hands, and since she had not let go since Harry had left them, he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug that would make his mother proud. As he began to let her go, Hermione snaked her arms around his neck, and pulled his head down to hers until their lips met. It was soft and sweet, and over way too quickly for Ron's liking, so he leant forward yet again and kissed her with more passion this time. When it was time to re-surface for air Hermione smiled and took hold of his hand again, as they began their decent down through the debris riddled halls of their beloved Hogwarts, to The Great Hall.

As they walked they passed more holes, scorch marks on the walls and ceilings where spells had missed, blood stains where things had gotten messy and debris and dust always covering the floors.

When they reached The Entrance Hall they were met once again with a scene of devastation. The banister on the staircase was missing in some places and the stones that showed the house points were scattered everywhere, mainly emeralds, as this year it would have only been Slytherin's getting points. But there were a few stones scattered around the floor that represented Hufflepuff and Rvenclaw, but virtually none for Gryffindor.

Ron and Hermione walked through the double doors, into The Great Hall, and made a b-line for the group of red hair near the middle of the hall where they were crowding around Fred's body. Ginny was the first to notice their arrival and immediately asked the question they had been ready to answer,

"Where's Harry!?!"

It was Hermione who answered as she seemed to have formed a bond with the younger girl over the years, the rest of the family had noticed their arrival now and were listening,

"He needed rest Gin, he said that he would come and talk to everyone in the morning."

She looked at Ginny as she said "everyone" and told her through her eyes that Harry really wanted to see her tomorrow. Ginny nodded with a slight smile of thanks and walked over to hug them both. Just as she lat go Mrs Weasley practically ran at them brandishing her arms like a crazy person and engulfing them both in the infamous Mrs Weasley "rib-cracker", all the while tears streaked down her face and fell with a splash to the floor. She stepped back and held them both at arms length while she looked over them,

"Oh dears, you're both looking a bit peaky. We'll get a good meal in you when we get back to The Burrow."

Everyone who had heard the exchange laughed at how Mrs Weasley still found time to look after the pair after all that had taken place. But neither Ron nor Hermione could disagree- they hadn't had a decent meal since they had left Shell Cottage which seemed a lifetime ago. When Mrs Weasley finally let them go the rest of the family stepped forward to hug them and offer words of comfort. When they had been around the whole family, Ron spoke up,

"Harry wanted to let you all know that he was okay and just needed rest and tell you all to get to sleep too!"

Everyone either smiled or chuckled but agreed that they would stay at the school for the night and then go back to The Burrow in the morning.

The Weasley family, plus Hermione, left The Great Hall and headed out through the disaster stricken halls and made their way up to the Gryffindor common room where anyone who needed a place to stay could sleep. Pupils went to their own common rooms along with their parents. The group got to the portrait of the fat lady before they realised that none of them knew the password. They looked at one another before Ginny stepped forward and took a guess,

"Harry Potter?"

"Correct!" Ginny looked around at everyone beaming as the portrait swung wide to admit them entrance.

As they stepped through they were met by a crowded common room full of celebrators and mourners alike. The group looked around as everyone looked back at them. Silently Ginny and Hermione left for Ginny's dormitory as it would be empty because everyone in her year had been too young to join the battle, and so had went home. They walked up the spiral staircase and without saying a word, got ready and fell asleep. There would be time for words in the morning.

Ron meanwhile went up the spiral staircase that led to the boy's dormitories where he knew he would find Harry- whether he would be asleep he didn't know. When he opened the door he looked over and saw him sleeping. Peacefully for once. He wasn't thrashing around and Ron thought that it was about time it happened for him. He silently got ready, climbed into his own bed and went to sleep peacefully across from his best friend, who had just been to hell and back, and still managed to sleep.

Ron fell asleep with thoughts of Fred, memories of the recent battle and questions about what would happen between himself and Hermione. Were they a couple now? He knew he wanted to be, but did she? His last thought though was of his sister and what would happen between her and his best friend in the bed set next to him. Harry was back for good now, Ron knew that he would never voluntarily leave Ginny again, and deep down, Ron knew they loved each other.