Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K Rowling. I'm merely borrowing her characters for the moment.

Everyone's been writing these Nineteen Years fics, and I thought that I'd write my own. Hope everyone enjoys!

The Nineteen Years

Chapter 1

The Aftermath

"Harry?" called a familiar voice, but as he was still very asleep, it didn't register in his brain. "Oy, Harry, mate?" Harry finally recognized his best friend, Ron's, voice, and opened an eye groggily. He covered his eyes with his hands as the shock of the sunlight streaming through the curtains made his eyes hurt. He reached to the nightstand, his nightstand that he hadn't seen in a year and grabbed his glasses. Faintly aware of bruises all over his body, he rose from his bed, exhausted.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked Ron, still adjusting to the light.

"Almost all day. It's two o'clock," the redhead replied, "Mum was going right ballistic when you didn't wake up and thought you had…" His voice trailed off and then changed the subject. "But Hermione thought you needed all the sleep you could get."

Harry nodded. "What's happening now?"

"Nothing much. Kingsley was appointed acting Minister of Magic," Ron said, running a hand through his hair, "and Professor McGonagall is acting Headmistress of Hogwarts…again." At that, he grinned and Harry did also. It seemed McGonagall was always acting Headmistress when tragedies occurred, during the attacks by the basilisk 2nd year, when Dumbledore died 6th year, and now, after so many people had died, giving up their lives to protect him.

"They should make her the permanent Headmistress now," said Harry. There was a silence as the two boys tried to find a way around the subject that weighed heavily on their minds. Harry's mind wandered to the previous night, only several hours ago, when he had finally defeated the most evil wizard to have ever lived, Lord Voldemort, his enemy for more than sixteen years, but at what price? The lives of many. Because of him, Teddy Lupin would never know his mother and father, orphaned at a young age just like he, Harry, was. Because of him, the Weasley family lost a son and brother, Fred, who would never joke again, and now George would just be one half of a whole. "I'm sorry, Ron," Harry told him, evenly, not able to look his best friend in the eye. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him…If only I had gone to Voldemort sooner, I-"

"Harry," Ron interrupted, putting a hand on his shoulder, forcing Harry to look into his eyes. "This wasn't your fault, mate. All these people wanted to be here, to fight. Fred…" He paused, ignoring the tears welling up behind his eyes, and went on, "He would've wanted to go down fighting and laughing, and he did. And Lupin, well, Lupin wouldn't want you to think it's your fault, either." Harry hugged Ron fiercely as only brothers could.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," said Hermione from the doorway, with Ginny trailing behind her. She raced into the room, flinging herself at her best friends, hugging them both tightly. "That was very eloquent of you, Ronald." She smiled sadly, hugging Ron again, stronger.

"Always the tone of surprise," he said, softly, and tilting her chin up, kissed her lightly.

Ginny squealed quietly, and Harry met her eyes, but she looked away as if she hadn't seen him. Alarmed at this, Harry prayed that she didn't move on already.

Hermione flushed bright red, and told her boys, "Ron, your Mum wanted to know if Harry was awake, because we're heading to the Burrow later on. She thinks it's best for us to be away from…" She couldn't finish, though Harry knew what she meant. Away from all this death. Ron nodded and grabbing her hand, they headed for the door, leaving he and Ginny alone for the first time in months. Before leaving, Harry met Ron's eye, which Harry took to mean, Make it quick, and he and Hermione exited the dorm room.

Harry looked at her, drinking in the brown eyes he had dreamed of over the last several months, the red hair he wished he could run his fingers through, her lips, soft and pink. "Ginny, I-" He didn't get a chance to finish, as Ginny had brought her hand forward and smacked him with all her might. Harry, shocked, touched the spot on his cheek where a hand imprint now grew.

"I thought you were dead!" Ginny screamed, tears streaming down her face. "I thought I had lost you! When Hagrid came in, carrying your body, my heart broke. You should've told me you were giving yourself to Voldemort. You're so stupid!"

"If I had told you, or Ron or Hermione, you never would have let me go," Harry said, quietly, reaching for her, but she pushed him away.

"Damn right I wouldn't," she stated, angrily, staring at him wildly until finally she broke down, and Harry wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I thought you left me…never leave me…" She cried over and over again, Harry affirming that he would never leave her again, his own tears mingling with hers. It was true. He'd never leave the euphoria that being with her offered ever again.

Hermione clutched Ron's hand tightly as they, along with the entire Weasley family, surrounded Fred Weasley's body and she looked at each of them in turn. Mrs. Weasley cried into Mr. Weasley's arms, both of them, sobbing and shaking. Remembering the bloodcurdling shriek that came from Mrs. Weasley when Fred's body was brought into the Great Hall, Hermione shivered and held Ron's hand even tighter. That shriek would forever be etched into Hermione's mind. Bill cried quietly as Fleur held him, whispering soothing words into his ear. Charlie comforted an uncontrollable Percy. Poor Percy, thought Hermione, miserably, He thinks Fred's death is his fault. Of all the mourners over Fred's body, George was the worst. He hadn't said anything since he saw the body of his twin, his other half, his soulmate. Stoic shock settled over him and he only rocked back and forth, still never taking his eyes off of his brother. He had sat with Fred's body all night, and no one had been able to make him leave. Hermione couldn't meet his bloodshot eyes. It was unnatural for George to look so depressed and low. Her heart went out to him. She couldn't imagine how it felt to lose a sibling, a twin.

There was a collective gasp and Hermione looked up to see what the spectacle was. Harry was coming into the Great Hall, hand in hand with Ginny. Professor McGonagall immediately stood where she was talking with Kingsley Shacklebolt, and with a determined expression on her face, she began to clap furiously. Others stood, Kingsley, Professors Sprout and Flitwick, and countless others, all clapping for the Savior of their world. Hermione herself got to her feet, and again flew at her best friend, Ron, not far behind her. The brunette reached him first and hugged both Harry and Ginny with her usual intensity, which meant they probably had trouble breathing. When Ron reached them, he wrapped his arms around them. The four stood like that for a full minute in the midst of all the cheers and sobs.

"We've had a hell of a time here, didn't we?" Ron said as they later walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, probably for the last time before the funerals took place.

"Ronald, language!" snapped Hermione, more out of habit than actually meaning it. Ron rolled his eyes at her and Hermione tried to suppress the laugh she knew was bubbling out, but couldn't.

"I'm bloody surprised you didn't yell that at my mum when she defeated Bellatrix," Ron chuckled, rubbing a hand through his bright red hair.

"Ron, what's going to happen?" Harry, who had been rather quiet as they walked, suddenly piped up. "To the people that have…?" He couldn't say it. It would make it all too real.

Ron jammed his hands in his pockets and Hermione laced her arm through his, worriedly. He also blamed himself for Percy's death, since they were all standing there when the explosion rocked the corridor.

Hermione screamed when the rocks around her fell and was thrown away from the others. She didn't even have enough time to create a Shield Charm. "No! No!" she heard Percy cry. Her first thought went to Ron, and with renewed strength, Hermione managed to push her way through the rocks on top of her despite the utter pain in her left thigh. The first person she saw as she struggled to her feet was Ron and she sighed with relief until she realized the body Percy was standing over. "Fred…" she said, unbelievingly. Hermione looked to Ron, who was heaving with both grief and anger. "Ron…I…" The words "I'm sorry" were on the tip of her tongue, but she realized no words could express the sorrow she felt at Fred's death, who had really been like a big brother to her. She ended up hugging him tightly, letting him cry into her shoulder before rage took him over.

"We've got to move!" Harry yelled as a body fell to the floor near them. It was so badly burned Hermione couldn't tell who it was and she gagged at the smell of burning flesh. A twitching noise next to her ear made Hermione look up and shriek. Huge spiders were pouring through the hole, biting anyone within reach, not discerning between who was fighting for the Light or the Dark.

"Everything will be okay," Hermione told Ron, quietly, and then laced her other arm around Harry's. "Everything has to be okay." As she looked between the both of them, it finally hit her that they survived…everything. From 1st year with their encounter with the mountain troll to the last battle taking place during what would have been their 7th year. Tears slid down her face as she imagined what she would've done if Harry didn't make it…or Ron. No, she couldn't think about that now. She and her boys survived and for the moment, that was what mattered.

They reached the Great Hall to find the bodies of the dead missing, and Ron looked immediately to where Fred's body had lain. His, too, was gone. As they neared his family sitting at the Gryffindor table, Ron noted that his mother, thought still shaking, had calmed down immensely. She smiled sadly when she saw them, and embraced them, saying quietly, "You three…have saved us all." Ron blushed lightly. He hadn't really done anything at all. Harry did most of it since he was the one who brought down Voldemort, and it was Hermione's idea to go down to the Chamber of Secrets for the basilisk fangs. All he did was speak Parseltongue and fight like everyone else, and he finally got the girl he had been crushing on since he was eleven years old.

Ron looked to Harry, so sure he would make a comment about not being able to save everyone, but Harry met his eye and nodded, as if in thanks for earlier.

"We'll be going back to the Burrow," Mrs. Weasley told them, "to get away." She eyed George, who was still staring into space, unmoving, completely unaware of the fact that Ginny was now holding his hand. The sight was too much for her, and she fell into Mr. Weasley's arms, sobbing once more.

"Kingsley would like to talk to you three soon…" Mr. Weasley told them over Mrs. Weasley's head. "Not today, of course, but soon."

Ron's heart hurt to see his mother so hurt and grief-stricken almost more than it did when he saw Fred's body, and he squeezed Hermione's hand hard. Noticing his sadness, Hermione kissed him on the cheek and steered him towards the table, near Bill, Charlie, and Percy. "Dad said he'd be buried back at the Burrow," Bill told them, his eyes bloodshot. "Fred's funeral will be tomorrow."

The words Fred and funeral didn't seem like they belonged in the same sentence. Ron kept thinking that somehow Fred would just jump up and brush himself off, shouting "Surprise!", but Ron knew it would never happen. Fred was dead and that was reality.

Surveying the room and all the grieving families, he sneered when his eyes lighted on the Malfoys, huddled together and talking quietly. "What are they doing here?" Ron spat, his ears immediately turning pink. The others turned to look where he was.

"They're not going to be charged," Hermione told him gently, "because they switched sides at the end."

"Like hell they did," Bill growled furiously, his part werewolf traits coming into full view.

"That reminds me," Harry said to himself, and headed with purpose to the Slytherin table, the Weasleys and Hermione watching with astonishment. Ron got up and followed him, flanking him in case something went wrong and they attacked him on the spot.

"Well, well, well, St. Potter has come to offer his condolences to our fallen name, no doubt," Lucius Malfoy spat, and Harry ignored the jibe.

"Well, what do you want, Potter?" Draco Malfoy spat, jumping up to face him. Ron, behind Harry, pulled his wand at him, but Harry motioned for him to put it away.

Turning to Narcissa Malfoy, who sat enfolded in her husband's arms, "I'd like to thank you for saving my life. I'll never forget it," Harry said, simply.

"You assured me my son was alive," Narcissa told him, just as simply, and both male Malfoys watched this exchange with wide eyes, "and that I will never forget." She rose, shakily, and Harry himself was surprised as the formidable Malfoy woman wrapped him in a hug. "Thank you for my son, Harry Potter."

Harry nodded once, and turned away, only to look back at Narcissa over his shoulder, "Your sister, Andromeda, lost her daughter and her husband. She'll need comfort."

"How did she save your life?" Ron asked, curiously.

"She told Voldemort I was dead when I was clearly alive," Harry replied, "I owe my life to her." When they came back to the Gryffindor Table, the family was gathered around a crushed soda can. "Minerva took the Portkey ward off of the grounds for today," Mr. Weasley explained supporting a still grieving Mrs. Weasley. Harry touched the can and steeled himself as they began to spin wildly for about twenty seconds before being deposited onto the grounds of the Burrow. Harry glanced up at the house he loved so much and knew he was home.