Disclaimer: The characters represented in this fiction belong completely to Mrs. J.K. Rowling. I do not take credit for coming up with any of the brilliant characters so masterfully brought forth by Ms. Rowling. All words, places, and characters found in the actual Harry Potter books do not, in any way, belong to me.
The crowd that had gathered to bid farewell at Dumbledore's funeral was slowly becoming less dense as people paid their last respects. Red-nosed mothers and serious-looking fathers strode down the path to the front gates, their sons and daughters close behind.
Had he been asked six years ago when he'd first come to Hogwarts, Harry Potter would have had no idea what was to come of the place he had come to know so well. It was as if when Dumbledore died, part of Hogwarts died as well.
There was little hope that the school would reopen until the Wizarding world was safe once again but still, that decision was to be left to the Board of Governors. Not that it mattered anyway, as Harry had already decided he would not be returning to Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione, being the loyal friends that they were, had decided to go along with him on his journey.
He had originally planned to go it alone, finding that any friends of his would just be targets Voldemort could use to get at him, but Ron and Hermione had been with him from the start. There was no shaking them loose now.
"We'd better get down to Hogsmeade station,"2 said Hermione softly. "The train will be departing soon." Harry took one last glance at the castle, looking back on all the time he had spent there, and followed Hermione, Ron, and the Weasley's down to the station. Professor McGonagall was there waiting and asked if she could have a moment with Harry, who stepped aside to hear what she had to say.
"Harry, I know we have all suffered a great loss today, more you than any of us. But you must still remember, you are not alone in this. We will do all we can to make your path easier and will respond whenever you need us. I speak on behalf of both Hogwarts and the Order that if you need anything at all, we will be behind you no matter what. It is a shame that at such a young age, you have already had to endure the cruelest of experiences, and what you must accomplish is a very big task. But we believe in you, for you will have the most to gain with Voldemort's downfall. Sure the Wizarding world will be safe at last, but do not fall victim to the expectations others have for you. Just do what you think necessary. Now if there is any time you feel you must contact me or another member of the Order, just use your Patronous to send us a message. I wish you the best of luck on your journey. Until we meet again, farewell." said Professor McGonagall, and she gave Harry a comforting pat on the back.
At a loss of what to say, Harry just nodded, then turned to say goodbye to Hagrid.
"I'm going to miss you Hagrid." said Harry, giving Hagrid a tight hug. Hagrid returned it by squeezing Harry even harder and breaking into tears. He only stopped when he noticed Harry had begun to turn a dark shade of red due to loss of breath.
"Oh, sorry Harry,2 said Hagrid. "I guess I jus' got a bit carried away, seein' as I won't be seein' you again for a while."2
"Don't worry Hagrid. That time will come soon enough,"2 said Harry, then he proceeded to board the train with Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. They found a compartment near the back of the train and opened the window to wave goodbye.
"Ron dear...your father, Bill, Fleur, and I will be apparating home. We'll see you when you arrive at the station." said Mrs. Weasley with a light smile.
"Oh, mum, I forgot to mention. Hermione and I will accompany Harry to the Dursley's before coming home to attend Bill and Fleur's wedding. So you'll just be picking Ginny up at the station."
"Ronald,"2 she said with hesitation, but changed her mind after a glare from Mr. Weasley. "If you must then. But be on the lookout for anything strange and never let your guard down."2
"Yes mum." said Ron, leaning out the window for a kiss on the cheek. The Hogwarts express sped out of the station, leaving Hogwarts castle and any sense of security far behind.
"All this happening with Dumbledore has caused a lot of change," mentioned Ron after returning from a journey through the train with Hermione. "There's only about nine other's aboard. Looks like most of their mum's and dad's didn't feel the train would be safe enough."
"I mean we're not completely alone. There's bound to be Auror's aboard and there's no way they'd let us go without extra precautions after what just happened." added Hermione. Ginny, Neville, and Luna nodded but Harry seemed to be lost in his own little world. Ron nudged him on the shoulder, but to no avail. In fact, Harry was on the verge of tears and didn't want any of them to know.
"I'll head to the bathroom for a second, be back soon." he said, looking away from the others as he left the compartment.
But he had lied; he was not going to the bathroom. He found another empty compartment on the other side of the train and threw himself down on the seat, sobbing into his arms. He had already gone over this before, but couldn't get it out of his head. First his mother and father, then Sirius, now Dumbledore. Who next? Mr. And Mrs. Weasley? Hagrid?
So far he had lost almost every parental figure he had ever known. He was starting to feel losing anymore would send him over the edge. But he had one thing to keep him from wanting to die. This was the thought that, in the end, he would put a stop to the one who did this to him.
This very thought was what kept the fire burning in Harry's heart, and when he finally accomplished this task, he would hopefully be able to finally settle down into a nice and peaceful existence.
Harry was not only fighting for himself, but for all the people Voldemort had ever hurt. Professor McGonagall was right, he had hurt more than every last one of them, but he also knew more than anyone how the others were feeling.
However, it didn't help that every one of those other people expected him to be the one to finish Voldemort off. But somehow he knew they were right. It was either he did or no one did. He was the only one left who could stand up to Voldemort and live to tell the tale. Had he not done it five times already?
He felt a small bit of hope knowing that at least two of the Horcruxes, possibly three, had already been destroyed. It was now up to him to find and destroy the rest, then take care of Voldemort. He knew what he had to do, and it was time to get on with the plan.
"How are you feeling?" came a soft voice from behind Harry. He turned around to see Ginny standing in the doorway. He had been so caught up with his emotional ranting that he hadn't even heard the compartment door open. "You've been gone for nearly half an hour, we were starting to worry."2
Harry felt the urge to ask her how she thought he was feeling, but decided against it. This was no time to be getting in arguments. In fact, Harry was quite glad Ginny had come. She and Harry had just ended their relationship earlier that day, but they were still closer than ever.
"You know Ginny, I'd just like a bit of time alone to think things over," said Harry in the most polite way possible. "If you could just tell the others I'd highly appreciate it. By the way, thanks for the concern but I think I just need to get a little rest, clear my mind." Ginny smiled at him with an understanding look in her eyes. He could tell she wanted to stay and be with him, but he needed some time alone.
"You're welcome, Harry. See you then?" she said, and closed the compartment door. He found it a bit hard to get to sleep with everything going on in his mind, but finally managed to fall into a light doze.
Three long hours later, the Hogwarts Express was pulling into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.