Harry made his way down the dormitory stairs into the Gryffindor common room, Ron and Hermione were sat rather close together on the sofa in front of the fire while Ginny was sat in a comfortable looking arm chair. To Harrys surprise Ron was the first to notice that him "Alright Harry?" Ron said as he stood. Harry thought about this for a moment before he replied "Not yet but I think I will be soon, I just have a few things I need to put right first" Harry was sure that both Ron and Hermione would think of the Elder Wand almost at once, but this wasn't the first thing on Harrys to do list, to him explaining the last year to Ginny and the Weasleys was far more important.
Harry made his way across the common room toward Ginny but before he could get to her Ron intercepted him and took him to one side. Hermione cast a meaningful look at Ron to which he replied with a nervous smile. Ginny shifted in her seat, she looked like she was about to get up but was stopped by Hermione silently mouthing 'Don't worry' at her. Once Ron and Harry were in Rons mind a comfortable distance away from the two girls Ron spoke "Now look Harry I know I'm normally the last person to understand these things and that I can be a right git at times..." "At times?" Harry added with raised eyebrows and a large smile, but Ron merely shook it off and continued "well anyway, look, she is my sister and well...just promise me you won't hurt her again Harry. I know, I know before you start, I know you were trying to protect her last time but she was still really cut up about it all." Harry had heard enough and placed a hand on Rons shoulder before looking into his eyes and replying very softly "I love her" and at once Rons eyebrows vanished beneath his fringe and his mouth fell open.
It seemed to take forever for Ron to regain some sort of functionality but when he did he spoke in an almost whisper "Love her, you love her...wow" Harry smiled and inwardly laughed at his best friends reaction. Then Ron leaned in a little closer and whispered "But how do you know, you know..." "How do I know I love her, its simple Ron I just can't imagine my life without her and when I faced him in the forest last night my last thought was of her" Harry replied and as the words left his mouth his whole body tingled with a warm static like sensation that made the hairs on his arms stand on end.
"OK that's enough, I for one am starving and I'm quite surprised that Ron hasn't mentioned food once all morning. Can we please go to breakfast now" Ginny shouted impatiently as she jumped up from her chair. "Breakfast sounds like a fantastic idea" agreed Hermione who had now also risen from her place on the sofa. "You boys finished your mothers meeting yet" said Ginny "because I'm going to the Great Hall, with or without you" and she set off at once for the portrait hole.
The four teens soon found their way through the many corridors and down the many staircases of Hogwarts to the Great Hall. The journey through the castle had been a silent one with no words exchanged at all, Hermione had clung on to Rons hand just as Ginny had Harrys, each of them taking in the ruined state that the school had become. On several occasions they had to turn back or go up a staircase to come back down somewhere else because the fighting had actually made some corridors and staircases impossible to safely navigate.
The Great Hall was a buzz with noise and people were eating and talking at the house tables, but it wasn't just students sat at the tables nor was there any particular order to the tables everyone was sat at. As soon as Harry stepped into the Great Hall the noise stopped and all heads turned his way. He cursed under his breath and made to turn and leave but Ginny squeezed his hand in reassurance and so he stood his ground.
Then at once the room shook with a thunderous applause and all of its occupants stood at once, clapping and cheering some of them even wolf whistling. Hermione blushed Weasley red as did Ron who tried to busy himself by looking at something on the floor. Harry didn't know what to do, but he know where or should he say who he wanted to be with. His eyes scanned the room for the red heads of the Weasley family, he found them stood at the far end of the Gryffindor table with Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, Luna Lovegood and her father Xenophilius the editor of the Quibbler and at first glance Bellatrix Lestrange.
How could it be her, he had watched her die and why would the Weasleys be with her, then it hit him. It wasn't Bellatrix, he had made this mistake once before it was Andromeda Tonks. Then that meant she knew, Harrys heart sunk once more. If Andromeda was here then she knew she had lost her daughter and son-in-law as well as her husband. His thoughts once more turned to Tonks and Lupin who had died so soon after the birth of their son, his godson Teddy Lupin, who would never know his parents just like Harry had never known his. He knew however that this would be different, Teddy wouldn't have the same kind of life Harry had lived, Teddy would have people that cared for him, people that would tell him all about his parents, Teddy had him and he had Teddy.
The teens made their way over to the Weasleys and the applause slowly died down and people returned to their seats. As they approached the Weasleys, Mrs Weasley rushed toward them and enveloped Harry in a typically crushing Mrs Weasley hug which to even his own surprise he returned rather enthusiastically. "Oh Harry, my boy we are so, so proud of you" Mrs Weasley said as she released him. She then moved on to Ron, Ginny and Hermione and gave them all equally as fierce hugs. "Now dears, sit, sit down and eat you all must be terribly hungry and don't you all look so thin, especially you Harry" she said as she piled sausages onto a plate that she shoved into Harrys hands.
"Now Molly dear, I'm sure they can feed themselves" said Mr Weasley as he placed his hand gently on Mrs Weasleys shoulder and guided her back onto the bench beside him. "Yes, yes you're right of course Arthur " she replied in a some what defeated tone. This worried Harry as he had never known Mrs Weasley to sound this way before, but it didn't surprise him in the slightest. Harry looked around at the people in his life that were closest to him, Mr and Mrs Weasley the parents he never had, scarred Bill Weasley and his beautiful part Veela wife Fleur, Charlie, the recently redeemed and returned Percy, a rather empty looking George, Ron who was busy stuffing his face much to Hermiones disgust all of which were like the brothers and sisters he had always longed to have, a family he had always imagined on those lonely cold nights in his spider filled cupboard under the stairs. His eyes then turned to his friends, his true friends that he knew he could always count on, quirky Luna Lovegood who had always treated him as just Harry, Neville Longbottom who very nearly could have had Harrys own life. Finally his eyes rested upon Ginny, the love of his life, the girl he longed to be with more than any other and now maybe he would have a chance.
They all ate in silence for a while until Ron spoke up, "Wow, I've got to say we have been sat here now for nearly twenty minutes and nobody has said anything, we haven't even had one question about what we have been up to this past year" Harry nearly choked on his scrambled eggs laughing at his best friends lack of tact and a few bits sprayed onto Percy opposite him which caused Ginny to giggle, followed by Hermione and soon all of them were laughing even Percy. Harry however noticed that George was silent still, prodding with his fork at his baked beans without any real conviction. Harry made a mental note to talk to George as soon as he could.
"OK then" began Mr Weasley "what did you three get up to this past year, we have heard the rumours of course but it would be nice to hear the truth" Harry, Ron and Hermione all shared nervous glances at each other and Harry shifted slightly on the bench. "Well Ron did invite questions" added Charlie through a mouthful of toast. Harry put his fork down and surveyed the people in front of him before saying "we're going to tell you, all of you" he said indicating the Weasleys and his immediate friends with a wave of his hand. "Its just...this is not the right place to tell you and there are a few people missing that also need to know, and well, I don't feel like repeating this story more than once. I'm sure Ron and Hermione agree with me on that" he finished turning toward Ron and Hermione who both nodded in agreement. "Yes, Harry is quite right, this isn't the time or the place" added Hermione "there are some things that most people shouldn't know" Ron made a noise to show his agreement to Hermiones statement.
Harry drained his glass of pumpkin juice and stood up. "I'll be right back, I'm just going to speak to Professor McGonogall and see if she has some place we can use" he said as he turned to leave the table, but Ginny caught his hand and announced that she was going to go with him. The two of them made their way through the tables hand in hand toward the Slytherin table on the otherside of the Great Hall where Professor McGonogall was sat in conversation with Professor Slughorn, Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout. Professor McGonogall saw Harry coming and excused herself and rose to meet him. "Potter, Miss Weasley, what can I do for you" she said in her usual stern tone although Harry was sure there was a softness to the older witches face that he had not seen before. "We need a place Professor, somewhere that we can talk about this last year. Obviously you would need to be there as would several other trusted people" Harry said with a certain edge of authority to his voice. Professor McGonogall looked Harry up and down for a moment and then replied "Certainly Potter, meet me in my office in thirty minutes with a list of those you feel should attend this meeting and we can arrange a room"
Harry thanked Professor McGonogall and then started to make his way back to his seat, on the way however a small group of people at the top end of the Ravenclaw table caught his eye, the Malfoys were sat a little way apart from the rest of the tables occupants, looking nervous and to Harrys delight a little ashamed. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were talking in a hushed whisper but stopped abruptly when Draco pointed out to them that Harry was looking at them. Harry didn't know how to feel at the sight of the Malfoys sitting in the Great Hall, on one hand he wanted to hate them for the years of abuse from Draco, the way they had followed Voldemort and supported his regime but on the other he could not forget the way they had been treated by Voldemort this past year, the way Draco had tried to avoid identifying them at Malfoy Manor and how Narcissa had lied to Voldemort in the forest. Harry however didn't have much time to decide how to act toward them because Narcissa had risen from her seat and approached him.
"Potter, I don't expect you to forgive me and my family but I do expect you to remember what happened between us in the forest last night and how we didn't fight against you. I ask only that you allow us to get on with things peacefully, we will obviously have to answer to the Ministry this I know but please whatever punishment we receive can we let that be that?" Harry considered the woman standing before him for a moment and rather than the cold snobby woman that he had met in Diagon Alley years previous he saw her as a mother, a mother who was clearly worried about her son. A voice inside his head said to him what would Dumbledore do, more importantly what would you think if the roles were reversed and it was your mother standing in front of Draco Malfoy?
Harry took a deep breath and then addressed Narcissa Malfoy "I'm not going to lie, I believe that punishment is due for the actions of your family over the past few years. I can not however deny that it is because of your actions that I was able to come out on top last night, therefore I feel that I owe you something. I saw something in you last night in that forest Mrs Malfoy, I saw you as a mother. You wanted to protect your child just like my mother wanted to protect me when she stepped in front of Tom Riddle that Halloween night in Godrics Hollow." Harrys heart swelled with pride as he spoke about his mother, and Narcissa Malfoy stared intently at Harry and he could tell she was listening to his every word and so he continued "Go be with your husband and son, I give my word that you will not be bothered by myself or my family and friends but I must also warn you that the Ministry may not be so lenient on your family, but I promise this I will never forget what you have done for me, for our world, your love for Draco may just be your families salvation. Goodbye Mrs Malfoy" with that he gave a small nod and turned back toward a rather stunned Ginny and motioned for her to follow him back to the Gryffindor table.
"Wow Harry, what was all that about?" Ginny said when they were out of earshot of Narcissa Malfoy. "You'll find out soon enough Ginny, I promise" replied Harry. Ginny pouted and then muttered "I best find out soon" and Harry laughed which made Ginny pout even more. "Soon Gin, I promise" Harry said as he squeezed her hand. In this moment Harry felt good; here holding Ginnys hand, not even the turning heads and all the attention he was receiving could ruin this moment for him.