A/N: Hello lovely new and previous readers! I originally posted this story a few years ago, but I stopped it due to way too much work and a dry writing spell. Anyway, I recently relit my fire for this story, and so, I give you a more updated version of Universal Harmony! I will be leaving in the old A/Ns in addition to updating and adding more for things have changed in the past few years! I hope you enjoy and I hope you let me know your likes and dislikes about my story, but please be respectful I'm certainly no JK Rowling, but this is just my own version of the way Harry Potter should have ended!

This is a story that I have been itching to write because I absolutely dislike the way JK Rowling ended the Harry Potter series. I think it was bogus and there should be some changes, clearly starting with the pairings. Anyway, please review, but don't throw too much fire! Constructive criticism is appreciated to help make my story better and to make me a better writer. I hope to update often, but I am very busy and am not sure when my next opportunity will come. So please stay with me and be patient with my story; I know how frustrating it can be if an author neglects one of his or her stories. If I take too long to update, please PM me and tell me to get on it! Anyway, I'll let you read the story! It might take little while to get into the story because I want to "set the scene" if you will.

Summary (extended): Post second war. Harry, Ron and Hermione are entering their seventh year exactly one year after they were supposed to. Hermione may have found a way to bring back Harry's parents. Will this cause him happiness or pain? Hermione and Harry also begin to realize their feelings for one another, but are quite shy with their communication about such topics. Harmony. This may extend past their last year in school, I'm not sure yet.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. If I owned the franchise, I would not need to write a better ending. ;)

Chapter 1:

Harry Potter looked around where he stood in the entrance hall of Hogwarts, taking in the aftermath of what would surely be known as the Day that He-Who-Shall-Not-be-Named perished. He couldn't say anything; only take in the sight – the destruction – the deaths that had come at his hands. He saw former classmates, previous professors, various members of the Order of the Phoenix, and many others who had risked their lives for the cause. The Great Hall now stood in ruins. Bodies scattered around the room, covered in rags or cloaks, anything that they had to conceal the death. Hogwarts still stood; this was true, but just barely. Half of the castle had been destroyed, and he wondered how long it would take to rebuild, even with magic.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted all of a sudden by Hermione crashing into him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Harry," she breathed as she nestled her head into Harry's neck. "I was so worried." At one point during the battle, she lost Harry in the mix of everything, and she was so frightened that something else might happen to him. So, she had been wandering the various battle scenes for quite some time, looking for him, because neither she nor Ron knew his whereabouts and she couldn't think to lose him a second time in one day.

"I'm alright, Hermione," Harry whispered as he closed his eyes and leaned into her. Harry was just as glad to see Hermione; she was, after all, the only one who knew exactly what he had been through and how hard it all was. He never thought he had lost her, for he couldn't imagine a world without her in it. Both of them held each other comforting the other, knowing the delicate state each other would be in. After a few minutes they pulled apart, but still held each other's hands, taking in the comfort this small gesture offered. Harry's thoughts quickly turned to the other person who had been with him though almost everything that had happened in the last year, his first friend at Hogwarts. "Where's Ron?" Harry asked, looking behind Hermione, expecting him to be there. Harry's thoughts immediately thought Ron would be with his family obviously as he was the only one from the trio that actually had family in the wizarding community.

Hermione did not know what to tell Harry at first thought. She first contemplated telling him that Ron was in the bathroom or he went to look at the old Gryffindor common room, but she knew Harry would see right past her lie. As time passed, Hermione's gaze fell and tears welled in her eyes. She sniffled a bit, trying to conceal her emotions, but Harry caught on and put a hand on her shoulder, telling her that he was ready to hear what she had to say when she was ready to speak. "He saved me," Hermione started to explain, but was interrupted by Harry, now frantically looking around the room for his best friend.

"Where is he, Hermione?" Harry asked as he dropped the hand that was still intertwined with hers. He didn't believe that something was wrong with Ron at first; after all the times that they had faced danger and lived at younger ages, this seemed too surreal for him to be gone.

"His family's with him; he's still alive, Harry," Hermione added as she began pulling Harry in the direction where the Weasleys were. Harry breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he still knew that just because Hermione said he was alive, didn't mean he would be for long. Hermione didn't want to talk, and all of her thoughts went back to Ron and what had happened earlier. Soon though, Harry pulled her out of her reverie, asking her a question.

"Hermione, what happened?" Harry whispered as he followed her, their hands still together. Hermione took comfort in the little gesture. If this was the end of one of her true friends, she was beyond glad her best friend was there to comfort and hold her when the time was upon them. They weaved around groups of people leaning over the injured and the dead as Harry continued to wait for an answer.

"We went to kill the snake…both Ron and I lost our basilisk fangs. We were cornered. We weren't going to make it, Harry." Hermione's voice broke as she the scene came alive in her mind again. As much as she wished it hadn't happened, she decided to continue, knowing Harry would be there to listen. "Ron covered me and was bitten twice. Then Neville – Neville came with the sword and killed it. He helped carry Ron to Madam Pomfrey, and she's been working on him ever since."

"Gods, Ron," Harry said to himself as the pair approached the Weasleys. Ginny was on the outer edge of the circle, looking inward on her tip-toes. Harry came up behind Ginny and put his hand on her shoulder as he dropped Hermione's. Hermione immediately felt a little more alone, although she stood next to Ron's mother rubbing her arm, trying to be of some comfort. Mrs. Weasley returned the favor and smiled sadly at Hermione, wrapping her in a hug.

"Oh, Harry!" Ginny cried as she turned and hugged him. "It's dreadful."

"He'll pull through, Ginny. He's done it before," Harry tried to convince himself more than Ginny more at the moment, but he knew Ginny would need someone to stay strong. Ron was her blood relative, not Harry's, and she knew how close the two were. They played Quiddich every day; she roomed next to each other on the same floor. They shared the same younger sibling syndrome, which Harry could never relate to due to his lack of siblings.

Come to think of it, Hermione and he were the only two who were not blood relatives surrounding Ron, Harry noted. Surely Hermione would need some comfort as well, given that she and Ron were nearly a couple. Harry knew it was only a matter of time before the two began seeing each other. Thinking of his friends' potential future together made him ache for a moment, but he quickly ignored the feeling and went back to thinking about Ron's current state.

"He's been asking where you are," Ginny said as Bill and Fleur parted, allowing Ginny to lead Harry to Ron's side. Harry knew Ron thought of Harry as his brother, but he didn't expect Ron to be asking for him in a near-death situation. As the two approached, Harry saw that Ron was lying next to Fred's body looking rather limp and colorless. His freckles really popped and his hair looked to be on fire in contrast to his skin; hell, it might have been less pale than Harry's porcelain covering. Ron's clothes were bloodied and his pants had been ripped pretty badly so that the right pant leg looked more like a long short. His right shin had a gash in it, which must have been where the basilisk had attacked Ron, Harry thought. As his eyes traveled up, Ron's sweater was caked with blood, some of it beginning to dry. There was a hole in Ron's sweater that led to some very pink skin underneath, and Harry could only assume that Nagini had bitten Ron there as well. He hoped Madam Pomfrey fixed it up well so that Ron would be in less pain.

"Ah Potter," Madam Pomfrey said when she noticed Harry standing in the front of the Weasley crowd. Harry liked Madam Pomfrey, but he never liked to see her. Seeing her meant something was wrong, and although she could fix just about any injury, it wasn't always like eating pumpkin juice and steak and kidney pie. "Will you need my services after Mr. Weasley?"

"No, ma'am," Harry answered quickly as he kneeled down at Ron's side. Harry was thankful to not be in need of her help today. He knew at the amount of casualties and wounded, she surely must have run out of the good flavored medicines if they actually came in any good flavors.

"How can you escape with nothin' but a little scratch, and I'm the one to have a bloody hole in my leg?" Ron moaned as he turned his head to look at Harry. Harry wondered the exact same thing as he reached up and felt his own face. There was definitely bloody dirt dried onto his face, but he didn't have the desire to wipe it off now.

"I don't know," Harry mumbled. "You'll be alright mate?"

"I suppose so," Ron answered.

"Don't do things like that Ronald," Hermione cried as she kneeled down next to Harry and hit Ron's chest. "Scare us half to death is all you ever do." Hermione always feared for Ron, because he could be so careless sometimes; she knew she could always count on Harry to be alert if necessary. But Ron seemed to get distracted constantly or maybe it was due to his laziness. Of course she worried about Harry, but she always knew if he were to get injured it wouldn't be for lack of focus. Luckily, Harry hasn't been injured too badly, aside from dying that day. Hermione made a mental note to speak to Harry about that later and see if there was anything he wanted to say about his experience.

"Alright," Madam Pomfrey sighed as she stood up. "He'll need rest and plenty of it."

"But he'll be alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she put a hand on both Harry and Hermione's shoulders for support and comfort.

"Without a doubt," Madam Pomfrey answered confidently.

"Thank you," Mr. Weasley said as he walked over to shake Madam Pomfrey's hand. However, instead of responding with the same enthusiasm, she just nodded and then left to tend to someone else. A healer's work on a day like this was never finished.

"Harry, come with me for a moment; will you?" Hermione asked as she stood up; she had some things she wanted to address with Harry and Ron, but seeing as Ron couldn't move at the moment and his family wasn't going anywhere any time soon, she settled on just Harry. Ron stared at Harry, confused; Harry returned the look, not knowing what Hermione wanted from him.

Ron always felt a pang of jealousy when Hermione and Harry went off together. He knew Harry had said they were like brother and sister, but their relationship didn't seem like Ron's relationship to Ginny. He supposed Harry wouldn't really know what it was like to have feelings for someone like a sister nevertheless the difference between feelings for a sibling and feelings for a lover. Ron had always suspected that both Hermione and Harry had feelings for one another, which neither of them truly knew nor wanted to admit for whatever reason, but he on the other hand thought he was head over heels for Hermione. Thinking deeper into his feelings, he wondered why it was Hermione that he had feelings for; she always seemed to push the wrong buttons and annoy him to no end.

"Oh we'll be right back Ronald." Hermione answered the confused expression on Ron's face to the best of her ability without giving the Weasleys something to talk about. As much as she trusted them, she didn't really want anyone to hear her private conversations with her best friends, especially conversations about the war. At this point, the less information they knew, the less danger they could be in. Without saying a word, Hermione walked away from the group; Harry waved and shrugged before following her.

Harry followed Hermione outside and down the path to what remained of the grand main gates of Hogwarts. She continued toward the half-destroyed bridge, imagining the first time they walked through those gates; it was such a different time. It was glorious in some ways, such as Hogwarts being her first real glimpse into the wizarding world which she would soon find out so much about, but it was also humbling, reminding Hermione how lucky she was to have made friends with Harry and Ron in their first year. "Hermione, what are we doing out here?" Harry asked as Hermione stopped and looked out at the surrounding area as Harry caught up with her and stood beside her. He knew Hermione had something important to discuss that she didn't want others to hear, and Harry loved that about Hermione. She always thought ahead about how various conversations and interactions might implicate future events, and she was very careful to minimize damage. Too bad she wasn't alive when Tom Riddle first came to Hogwarts.

"Ron should have some time alone with his family," Hermione shrugged, focusing on the horizon in front of her. Hermione didn't want to come out and say it exactly just yet, because she knew there was a slight chance someone would come walking out behind a pile of rubble. She finally convinced herself that no one was coming, and began the conversation she wanted to have with Harry from the moment she saw hugged him earlier. "There's still something I don't understand…" Hermione looked back at Harry, silently asking permission to continue her train of thought, knowing Harry might not want to continue on this path. Harry raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to respond, telling her it was alright. "When Voldemort killed Snape, the wand's allegiance should have gone to him, right? So how did you survive; it's not possible."

"It never answered to him…when he killed Snape he thought the wand would become his," Harry began as he pulled the Elder Wand out of his pocket, gliding his fingers over it; his stare bore deeply down into the heart of the wand. Hermione tried to keep her eyes focused on the wand, but constantly battled her mind between alternating from Harry's face and back to the wand. "But the wand never truly belonged to Snape. It was Draco who disarmed Dumbledore that night. From that moment on, the wand answered to him…until the other night when I disarmed Draco." Harry continued to look down at the wand. Hermione's eyes no longer jumped from one place to another; she kept her eyes firmly placed on Harry's face.

"So you're saying?" Hermione's body suddenly went cold, but not in a bad way. It was a feeling of unbelievable pride and happiness for Harry and perhaps a bit of shock too. She knew he would do amazing things, but she never thought he would hold the most powerful wand in the world.

"Yep, it's mine." Harry glanced up at Hermione and noticed a smirk on her face. He was used to that look; it continually showed up on Hermione's face when she outsmarted Ron or when she helped Ron or Harry understand some homework. Harry knew it was a feeling of pride for herself during those times, and he couldn't help but feel she was proud of him as well.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm not quite sure…"

"Well you can't keep it; can you?" Hermione asked as she began walking away from Hogwarts and toward Hogsmeade. She hoped Harry would say no; it was only right, after all.

Harry followed in suit before answering. "Well, I don't exactly have another wand handy now do I?" Harry wasn't actually thinking about using the wand; he only wanted his original wand which was in pieces in his back pocket. Perhaps the Elder wand could fix other wands.

Hermione stopped and turned toward Harry. "You haven't even cleaned up yet," Hermione quickly changed the subject as she pulled out her wand and conjured up a moist wash cloth. She began dabbing at his bloodied face with a stern yet kind smile, trying to allow Harry to think about what he just said.

"I was thinking about bringing the wand back to Dumbledore…" Harry concluded, causing Hermione to stop cleaning Harry's face. She tilted her head, took a breath, and smiled easily; she could breathe easier now knowing Harry had no real intention to use the wand.

"I think that would be lovely." She responded as she continued to blot his face. Harry smiled in response to Hermione's words. He didn't know why, but for some reason, when Hermione said that, Harry felt a sudden warmness fall over him. "When?" She asked, drawing Harry out of his happy thoughts. Harry was a bit taken aback by Hermione's next question even though this was not the first time one of her questions caught him off guard. He hadn't really thought it through; to be honest he hadn't thought anything through. Hell he didn't even know if he would be living right now.

"I didn't really think about it…now I guess…before we get out of here," Harry sighed.

"Where will you go next?" Hermione asked, curious at what was in store for her best friend. She had to make sure he had a plan. Now that Harry could officially live on his own in the wizarding world, she wanted to make sure she knew where to find him and that he was safe and sound wherever he went. "You're not going back to Privet Drive; are you? Maybe just for a stop? I mean aren't all of your school books there? You'll want those, won't you? You shouldn't waste them, you know." Harry smiled a little at Hermione's comment; leave it to her to think about book from previous years. Knowing Hermione, she probably skimmed them occasionally not wanting to forget anything.

"I'll go back to get those books, alright?" Harry promised Hermione. She eased a little, knowing that the books would not go to waste; she had to remember to check to see if Ron still had his books as well. Perhaps they could all brush up on their sixth year again; they would be expected to have mastered all of the spells in those books for their now upcoming seventh year. "And to look for Hedwig…" Harry's eye diverted away from Hermione's face and toward the ground. He knew it would be a longshot trying to find his snow-white owl, but he just felt like he couldn't leave her there without a proper burial. She had been Harry's first friend and someone to talk to and remind him of the magical world when he was at the Dursley's. Her death, might have been one of the hardest to come by.

"Oh, Harry…I'm sorry…she was a…a wonderful owl. She had a good life with you…and she loved you." Harry didn't speak, but Hermione knew what he was feeling. She knew Harry was devastated by the loss of Hedwig, but she hoped that somehow Harry could find closure. He had lost so many people he knew and loved in this war that Hermione didn't see any other way Harry could move on unless he got some sort of closure with the departed. "Do you know where you'll stay?"

"No Hermione! I don't have a home to go to anymore…Privet Drive was my official home, but Hogwarts was the only place that felt like a home…Now without Dumbledore…there isn't even a building left…" Harry exploded at Hermione as he turned away from her, trying to hide his fear of where he will live. "I'm sorry, Hermione." Harry apologized for his outbusrt as he turn back to face her again. Harry didn't know where he would go; he had an inkling to go back to 12 Grimmauld Place though, maybe after it was cleaned up a bit. He didn't want to stay with Ron for too long, wanting to allow the Weasley's proper time to mourn Fred.

"Harry…you know you can always stay with me…" Hermione offered up her home, wanting to comfort Harry. However, she wasn't even sure if her parents still owned it anymore. She thought they must eventually come back once she found them in Australia, and they'd certainly need some place to live. They surely wouldn't throw either Hermione nor one of her friends out on the street. And it shouldn't be too hard to find them in the Australian heat; after all, she knew it was their dream to live in Melbourne. A frightening thought entered Hermione's mind. "Good heavens though…we missed our last year of school…how will we ever successfully get jobs?" Hermione's face was quickly showing signs of distress as she placed her free on Harry's head to help hold it still while she continued wiping the dirt off. Hermione had millions of questions running through her head about Hogwarts and what it would become. "What's going to happen to all of the students this year? What about school next year? Is McGonagall-"

"Hermione," Harry smiled as he removed her hands from his face and held them. He knew Hermione would continue cleaning his dirt-caked face until the day was done if he didn't stop her. Although he would never admit it to Hermione, sometimes Ron and Harry had tuned Hermione out once she made her point once in a conversation. "Let's just find out how today is going to end first…we'll worry about the future tomorrow, okay?"

"Only you could say something like that," Hermione mumbled as she scowled, and with that she pulled her hands free of Harry's and returned to wiping Harry's face. Harry smiled with a sigh thinking Hermione could certainly be relentless, perhaps it was for his own good though. Hermione knew that it wasn't like Harry not to think about the future; in the past he always was worried about facing Voldemort. However, now he that had overcome his greatest obstacle, there was nothing left to fear, so Hermione figured he could relax a little.

"Hey, we're all in this together…we'll be fine."

"How can you be so worried about not having a home one moment and then so sure of the future the next?" Hermione asked honestly wondering how he could go back and forth. Harry had always been quite emotionally transverse with various matters, although he tried to hide some of his fears he was never very good at it. Hermione always saw Harry go back to the Dursley's with a brave face, but she knew deep down he was dreading every moment of it. She wondered if he even thought he would have a future before he defeated Voldemort. They had never gone so far as to ask Harry, although, Hermione always knew Harry would survive. She was sure he would live for a very long time.

"You just told me I have a home…as long as you have people who care about you, everything will be okay." Harry smiled at Hermione, and she wondered when he had gotten so good at turning her own words against her. Although, this time his words were comfort, not snarky comments about cheating on a practical test.

"I'll take your word for it," Hermione sighed as she moved on to Harry's neck.

"Of course you will," Harry exhaled, glancing around at the rubble instead of keeping his eyes fixed on Hermione. He and Hermione had been face to face for so long now; he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, having to look into his eyes for so long. Harry didn't mind looking at Hermione for so long; it just seemed natural to him. However, he was sure Hermione had feelings for Ron, and instead of cleaning him, she was cleaning Harry's wounds. Hermione on the other hand, hadn't been looking into Harry's eyes at all; she was focused on the spots she was washing at that time. She couldn't bear to looking into his eyes without wanting to kiss him with the relief she felt for him. Although she knew he would survive, she was utterly amazed and relieved that he actually had done it.

"I know…it's dreadful isn't it?" Hermione knew exactly what Harry was thinking about. She couldn't believe how awful Hogwarts looked in this moment. There wasn't an inch of the ground that she couldn't remember walking on or having a picnic at. She knew almost every spot of the outside grounds and had walked it at one point or another. "How long do you suppose it'll take to rebuild?" By now, all of the dried blood on Harry was gone and Hermione was just wiping off the dirt.

"A while…I'll do whatever it takes to rebuild this school," Harry added.

"I will too…it seems like it's given us so much these past few years…it's the least we could do." Hermione smiled as she removed her hands from Harry. He felt a strange void without Hermione's touch, but he attributed it to the cooling air around them. "There, you look so much better, but Harry, you really need a shave!" Hermione giggled as she felt his stubble once more. She only just began to realize how much older Harry was looking in the months they spent in the woods alone. She had seen him shave, apply aftershave and such, and it seemed so foreign to her. After all, they had known each other back when they barely needed to apply deodorant.

"It hasn't exactly been at the top of my priorities list, Hermione," Harry smiled back at her, rubbing his hand over his chin. He didn't remember the last time he shaved, but he knew it wasn't too long ago.

"We're not first years anymore," Hermione mumbled and began walking again away from the ruined Great Hall. "It's kind of distressing, don't you think?" Harry gave her a questioning look as he followed her; he didn't quite understand where Hermione was going with this, but that wasn't unusual. There had been many times where neither Harry nor Ron knew where or how Hermione's min worked. "How we're supposed to be done right now, going into the magical world to work…" Hermione continued; she thought about trying to get a job after all she, Harry, and Ron had been through this year, and she just couldn't. It only seemed right to find some kind of normal before they became full-fledged adults. "You shouldn't have had to face evil all seven years you went to school. Nor should you have had to endure all those countless years with that muggle family of yours. Nor should you have been asked neither to kill Voldemort nor to sacrifice yourself to do so." Hermione let her sorrows for Harry pore out; she wished she could take away every one of them from Harry. She believed that he shouldn't have had to share the burden and pain with himself. However, there was nothing she could do about them now.

"I'm a horcrux though," Harry joked with laughed. But in all honesty, he didn't see a way where he could have avoided all that evil with a piece of Voldemort sitting inside him without his knowledge. Hermione did not find this as amusing. She had been devastated when she found out her suspicions were true. She recalled throwing herself on him and offering to be with him when he was killed by Voldemort. But Harry had refused her support. And she felt her heart break. She had let him go to die alone. And when she thought he was dead her heart crumble even more if it was possible. And then she learned he was in fact alive, making her heart soar. She didn't – no, she couldn't think about Harry having been a horcrux.

"No Harry. You were a horcrux. We should have known sooner after everything Dumbledore told you…I'm sorry I wasn't there when-"

"Hermione." Harry stopped Hermione from going any further. He didn't want her to see him be killed; he had wanted her last image of him to be one where he was alive. Harry thought he was sparing Hermione terrible pain, but now he felt as though he had hurt her more by not allowing her to come.

"But I still should have gone; I shouldn't have listened to you…done something."

"Actually, I'm glad you didn't come…" Harry smiled looking up at the sky as he stuck his hands in his pockets. He thought back to who he had seen and the happiness he felt, and he decided to tell her why he was glad she hadn't come. "I saw my parents," he explained. When Hermione didn't respond, Harry glanced her way. Hermione's head was tilted and her eyes were squinting at him, curious; she was waiting for Harry to continue. "And Sirius. And Lupin. They all stayed with me until it happened. They helped me. The resurrection stone seemed to come in handy…it was in the snitch, you know." Harry explained, sensing Hermione's utter confusion at his explanation.

"I'm sorry they're gone, Harry…I wish there was something I could do…"

"Even Dumbledore said we can't awaken the dead," Harry sighed. Hermione always wanted to fix things or make them better, but there was no way she could help with these things. He had come to terms with each of their deaths, but it didn't seem like Hermione had.

"That stone, though…" Hermione mumbled. Harry sensed the gears cranking in Hermione's head; he loved the way she looked when she was thinking deeply or very hard.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing…" Hermione added. She pushed her thoughts away, promising to come back to them as soon as she could.

"Maybe we should go back, Hermione," Harry suggested as he motioned towards Hogwarts which now lay at a short distance away. "Ron'll be wondering where we are." The truth was, Harry knew Ron would be wondering where Hermione was. Harry knew for ages that Ron fancied Hermione to no end.

"I supposed," Hermione said as she stopped in her tracks and turned around to face the castle. Hermione and Harry then began walking back to the school. Hermione was deep in thought and hardly talked to Harry; she only nodded or mumbled one word answers when Harry tried to start another conversation. Harry knew Hermione must have been thinking about something very important, so he decided to leave her alone for now.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! It is much longer than it originally was, and I hope it satisfies you until I get the second chapter up…which will hopefully be fairly soon!

Love and hearts and happy reading

xoxo