Disclaimer:the first line is from the seventh book when harry is in the headmaster's office, therefore I did not write it.
All characters and places belong to JKRowling
"I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."
Hermione sighed softly and nodded at Harry as a miniscule smile played across her face.
Though he was exhausted and bleary-eyed, Harry felt a rush of gratitude for his unfailing friends swell up inside of him and he lurched forward on his unsteady feet and scooped them both into an embrace.
"Thank-you," he breathed, pulling back to look at them both, covered in dust, grime and scratches from the battle that still lingered on the edge of thought.
"No problem mate," Ron said lightly, then added seriously, "don't ever do that again, running off like that."
He nodded and replied, "It's not likely."
Hermione laughed and then graciously suggested that they all got some sleep before Harry passed out after taking in his appearance, and began to lead the way down to the entrance hall. As they stumbled across the hall toward the staircase leading to the Gryffindor tower, Harry caught a flash of flame-red hair out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Ginny staring at him with concern. Relief and contentment flooded through him as he saw her safe and unharmed.
He stopped and held his arm out to her, inviting her in. After a moment's hesitation, she walked to his side and wrapped her hand around his before they set off after Hermione and Ron who were waiting at the top of the stairs.
As they neared the fat lady's portrait, Harry became aware of the constant hum of whispers stringing down from the paintings that murmured to each other through their frames as they passed by.
"Lace wings," Ginny called out to the fat lady, and then squeezed his hand as the four of them tumbled through the portrait hole.
The common room looked the same and inviting as it had a year ago, with fires crackling merrily in contrast to the atmosphere of the castle. A broken window on the far side of the room let in a cool breeze that woke Harry up enough to realize just how tired he was. It seemed like a millennia since they had slept the night away in bill's cottage by the ocean. In that time was is possible that he had raided Gringotts, snuck into Hogwarts and defeated Voldemort?
Ron had collapsed onto the nearest sofa and Hermione was making her way up to the girl's dormitory. Harry reached out and stroked Ginny's hair before loosening his grip on her, and then turned towards the spiral staircase leading to his old dormitory. It took him a befuddled moment to realize that Ginny was beside him again, helping him up the stairs.
As he lowered himself stiffly onto his bed and kicked off his shoes, he stole a few glances at her. She was staring absentmindedly out of her window, and Harry saw the ghostly traces of tears left on her cheeks. She was braver than she had right to be; growing up amidst all of her brothers, staying to fight and loosing Fred in the same night.
Suddenly the numbness that had shielded him for the countless hours dissipated and he groaned as he felt the aches from the battle spread through him, and he slumped onto his covers in pain.
Ginny turned to go so he could rest but with a last-ditch effort, Harry caught her wrist and pulled her gently back. She didn't twist way but instead crawled onto the mattress beside him and rested her head on his arm, and he wrapped his arms around her without thinking as he drifted.
Waking to the evening sunlight sifting in through one of the dormitory windows which was blurred around the edges, Harry realized that someone had removed his glasses. Still used to the months he had spent living in secret with Ron and Hermione, it took him a moment to remember recent events. The image of Voldemort's lifeless body crumpling to the ground shocked him out of the remnants of sleep and he then noticed that his bed was empty beside him. Ginny.
He bolted upright, fearing the worst. Whipping out his wand, he looked around wildly. Ginny's fuzzy figure was sitting cross-legged at the foot of his bed, a shocked expression pulled across her features.
"Did I wake you up?" she asked, concerned. Harry coming to his senses lowered his wand and found his glasses before answering.
"No," he muttered, feeling more than a little foolish, "I didn't know where you were, freaked me out a bit," he rumpled his hair nervously as he waited for her reply.
After a moment of awkward silence he looked up and was shocked to see how much pain was hidden just behind her brown eyes. Before he could properly react, her tears welled up and spilled over, running down her cheeks in a gushing fountain. Ginny had always been to tough and brave, Harry wasn't used to seeing that side of her and it frightened him that he didn't know how to comfort her.
Acting on an impulse, he scooted toward her and gathered her up in his arms, his cheek resting on her hair which smelled faintly of honey and lilacs. Rubbing his hands up and down her back, he waited for the tears to subside, thinking of what he could possibly say to her. After a while Ginny's sobs died away but she didn't lean away from the security of his arms. Suddenly the door sprang open and Ron's lanky figure stood in the doorway.
"Mom's looking for you Gin-" he began, then took in his sister's face and stopped short, "she's in the great hall when you're ready to come down." He shot a worried look at Harry-clearly he had not seen his sister's like this either-and then backed out of the room, shutting the door as he left.
The interruption seemed to have shaken Ginny out of her hysteria because she whipped her eyes on her sleeve and slipped off the bed as she said, "I'll be down in the common room."
Before he could stop her she had swept out of the room leaving Harry with his thoughts. Trying not to jostle any of his injuries he pushed himself out of bed and slipped off his torn and grimy robes. A change of clothes lay draped over the end of his bed so he snatched them up and made his way to the showers. The hot water felt like heaven to his sore muscles and he looked over his limbs to assess the damage. Madame Pomfrey is going to have a heart attack he thought as he noticed yet another gash-this one across his forearm.
He shut off the water sooner than he wanted and got dressed, then as he made his way down the stairs he heard a conversation filter up from the common room, and he stopped to listen to the familiar voices.
"Ginny, how are you doing?" Hermione asked.
"I'm tired," she said thickly, "I couldn't sleep well…and when I did…" her sentence died away and he heard her suck in a deep breath of air, "I feel relieved which is horrid because I shouldn't be when Remus and Tonks and Fred were the means to the end of all the pain."
Forcing himself away from the wall, he took the last few steps slowly, as if to make it look like he hadn't heard a thing.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as he came into view, "McGonagall was looking for you earlier, she said she'd see you at supper." Harry nodded in response and stole a glance at Ginny who was gazing into the fireplace, her eyes out of focus and a splotchy red.
She then stood up and turned to them and said robotically, "We should go down for dinner. Mum is waiting for me and you two should go see Madame Pomfrey before she hunts you down." Hermione wrapped her arm around Ginny's shoulders and squeezed before they made their way out of the Gryffindor tower. In the time that had elapsed while harry had slept, most of the mess had been cleared away, with the odd teacher that roamed the halls repairing staircases and walls. In other places house-elves scrubbed away at the grime and ichors that still coated the floors. As they walked into the great hall harry felt an iron fist smash his heart against his ribcage as he took in the dark banners that hung down from the ceiling.
Hermione led Ginny over to where the Weasley's sat at the Gryffindor table, squeezing in between Mr. Weasley and Ron. Harry sat a few spaces down from them and sipped from a goblet of pumpkin juice half heartedly. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Potter," Professor McGonagall said. He glanced up in acknowledgement and then abandoned his cup and stood up, "would you be so kind as to accompany me to the headmaster's office?" to this harry nodded sharply and then fell instep beside her as she made her way through the castle.
As they entered the office morbid curiosity mixed with dread pulsed through him as he thought of what she was going to tell him, and he sat down in the now familiar chair. To his surprise, she did not sit down behind the desk, but instead conjured a chair beside him.
"Potter, do you think it safe to tell me now what Dumbledore sent you to do that sent you on the run for so many months?" she asked sternly. Harry laughed in spite of himself and thought of everyone's frustration at his secrecy.
"Yeah it's fine," he replied and then lapsed into silence as he thought of where to begin. Finally Professor McGonagall had to snap to get his attention before he began.
"Professor, I'm assuming you know what a horcrux is?"
"A horcrux? Well of course I do Potter but what has this got to do with-" she started but her thoughts quickly caught up with her, "You don't mean…You Know Who?"
"You can say his name," he said a little irritably, "And not just one, he had seven."
Professor McGonagall looked as though she was about to faint, and after making sure she was breathing properly Harry started at the beginning of his tale. He told her of Tom Riddle's past at the orphanage, the finding of the Marvolo ring, his hatred for his Muggle father and Tom's discovery of a horcrux. Harry explained Voldemort's connection with him in his fifth year, then described what had occurred on the night of Dumbledore's death and finally he relived the past nine months, leaving out the part when Ron had disbanded and the Deathly Hallows.
When he got to the part about Snape, Professor McGonagall nearly had a fit, cursing violently about the "lying little git" until harry could explain what he had seen in the pensive. He left out the part about the Resurrection Stone and the odd happening in Kings Cross Station, but when he told her of his previous intention to give himself up, McGonagall looked about ready to curse him for his idiocy.
When he was finished she regained her composer and said, "Well I think that all that matters it that you somehow miraculously managed to survive despite walking straight into You Know Who's clutches! I can't imagine how you must be taking this all Potter." Harry didn't answer her but instead picked at a spot on his robes, "We shall of course retrieve Professor Snape's body and all of the families of the deceased are being notified of these events as we speak and will arrive for a memorial service in two days time." She continued in her business-like voice.
Standing up, she vanished her chair and then added, "Harry if there is anything you wish to ask, please do."
He stood up as well and said hesitantly, "To be honest Professor, I don't know what to do. Voldemort was always part of my future, am now…"
"It has come to my attention that you are godfather to Remus and Nymphdora's son," as she said it harry got the sudden mental image of a mini version of Lupin with pink hair and got lightheaded, "and while his grandmother survives, she will be needing help with the child. Both Ronald and Ginny Weasley will be needing your support as well, and I'm sorry to say but I'm fairly sure that Molly will not let you disappear again." With a small smile she clapped him on the shoulder and then left the office.
Harry wanted to stay there, alone and undisturbed but the thought of Ginny somewhere below waiting for him set him out of the office buzzing with the murmurs of dozens of portraits and down towards those who waited to see him.
There's more to come! Review to help me fix it up if you wouldn't mind would be GREAT!