If there's anyone out there who still has interest in this story, I apologise to you. I hate to be one of those authors who leave a story hanging, but i've been kind of lost in life recently and couldn't find the next place to take this story. So my apologies but if you are still there, thank you for not giving up on me and hope you like it.

Chapter 4

Harry ran blindly, only the grip of two best friends' hands grounding him to reality, eventually collapsing onto the damp but warm ground. Breathing deeply against his protesting lungs he gazed around at his surroundings. They were sat on the edge of the hill of the Hogwarts grounds looking out at the valley and lake ahead of them. It was such a beautiful day with the sun sparkling off the deep blue water and cloudless sky not impeding the endless view as the winter mist often did from this view point. Harry looked down and noticed in surprise that Hagrid's hut was still standing in all its wonky and decrepit glory. There were even still birds pecking at the oversized orange and yellow pumpkins to the side of the hut, completely oblivious to the scarecrow glowering at them. Some things would never change.

It was this thought that caused Harry to inhale suddenly in realisation of his thoughts. Nothing was the same, not really. Sure the birds still pecked away at the rotting vegetables but Hagrid wouldn't come bursting out of his front door waving a broom to scare them off, most likely all while still wearing his flowering apron. No, that had changed along with everything else what with Hagrid in the Hospital Wing having his broken leg treated. Too much had changed and Harry realised it was that change, that feeling of being completely lost in the world that scared him the most.

'I really missed this place,' Ron said absentmindedly, as though he were talking to himself.

This brought a grin to the edges of Hermione's mouth as she turned and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. 'Never thought I'd hear the like; Ron Weasley missed school.'

Ron let out a small chuckle in response, 'Yeah well don't get used to it, I doubt it will last long.'

The atmosphere went quiet again as the three teenagers watch the shadow of a cloud trace along the hill in front of them before disappearing from view.

Hermione took a deep breath and was the first to break the once comfortable but now eerie silence that surrounded them. 'You know I get it Harry,' she said looking at the bent head of her best friend. He sat a small ways ahead of them, his face hidden from view and his wand still grasped tightly in his hand, like both Ron and Hermione's wands.

'You get what Hermione?' Harry replied in a monotone voice.

'I get why you pulled us away, back in at The Great Hall, and I'm glad and thankful you did. You were right that it would have been touch much for any of us to accept that kind of gratitude right then.' She paused, looking for the right words. Ron placed his free hand in hers and nodded sombrely encouraging her to continue with what they both new needed to be said. 'But Harry, they're our family. And our friends. And they deserve to see us and know we're okay and celebrate their freedom. They need to.'

'Hermione's right Harry and you know it, come on whenever is she not?' Ron added.

'And we need to see they're all okay. We all made it Harry. By some miracle we all made it and we have earned the right to be happy about that, we have damn it!' Hermione continued frustration entering her voice unwittingly.

'No,' Harry whispered.

'No what Harry?' Ron encouraged gently.

'No that is not what we get now,' Harry whispered back, a cold bitterness twisting his voice into something unrecognisable as Harry. 'We have not bloody earned that!'

Ron and Hermione shared wary looks. 'Harry that's not what we meant,' Hermione attempted to explain. 'It's just tha...'

'No!' Harry said louder this time. He was trembling now and pulled his arms around himself to try to suppress the involuntary show of weakness. 'Just go.'

'Harry no mate, we're not gonna leave you,' Ron replied earnestly not want to break his unspoken promise to Harry or Hermione.

'Just get away from me!' Harry shouted at them, whipping his head round as though he were hurling the words at them. His wide, bloodshot eyes a shocking contrast to the deathly white sunken features of his face.

Feeling at a complete loss for how to help their best friend, Ron and Hermione hesitantly rose to their feet and backed away from the prone, trembling figure of a broken Harry Potter as though in a daze. Once again their feet continued to move without conscious thought, one foot in front of the other. Like so many days of the past year, spent walking hour after hour. The worst days had been when they had no destination planned, no target, no aim, just walking in a desultory fashion because if they stopped they would just have to admit how lost they were in this world of war and quests and pain.

It was with a shock of guilt and comfort that the pair realised they had found their way to The Great Hall. They had found their way to their families after all this time. To help.

In the Great Hall

'They're back,' Sirius whispered to the family surrounding the food laden table.

Heads whipped up, hoping to see the three familiar figures that had been missing from their table for so long. However expressions of hope and the beginnings of joy were marred by confusion and sadness as they recognised only two dishevelled figures gripping wands and each other's hands tightly, the imposing grand arch of The Great Hall doorway making the figures seem to shrink towards each other even more.

Mrs Weasley let out an unintelligible cry and rose to her feet ready to welcome her baby boy home. She was surprised when a strong, familiar hand grasped her wrist, gently pulling her back down into her seat. She looked up with confusion into the eyes of her husband.

'We're going to have to give them time,' he said gently, removing his hand from her wrist to enclose her hand tightly. 'Let them make their own way home.'

Bill nodded along with his father. 'Dad's right Mum, they need to come to terms with not being alone anymore on their own.'

'Ironically,' the twins muttered in unison with a hint of a smile much to the eye rolls of their surrounding families. Though their grins grew fractionally at the wink of approval Sirius sent their way.

The subdued and stilted conversations that had been exchanged across the table came to a resounding halt leaving the air thick with silence broken only by the sound of distant conversation from the other three tables and two sets of hesitant and painfully slow footsteps that had become the focus of all Weasleys, Potters and honorary family members alike.

Sirius grabbed his sandwich and taking a bite chewed with studious concentration, tasting nothing but trying to act as natural as possible. This was so surreal he thought to himself taking another bite. They were acting as though these teenagers were frightened animals they were trying to lure back into their cages.

'That's exactly what they are,' James whispered shocking Sirius into realising he had unwittingly voiced his thoughts out loud. James gave a small smile, a mixture of relief and sadness. 'They are frightened and lost and we have to let them come back on their own terms.'

'Or they might bolt,' Lily finished for him. She had one hand tightly grasped in James' and the other holding onto J's shoulder. Her gaze kept flicking between J and Andy every few minutes as though assuring herself they were still there.

Time seemed to slow as the pair of footsteps got closer and closer until they stopped at the edge of their familial group. Without thought all heads turned to smile unashamedly at the two exhausted and scarred faces of Ron and Hermione. Ron stared at his brothers and parents his eyes wide but his lips unmoving and his brow furrowed, in pain or confusion they could not tell.

'We...' Hermione began in a hoarse voice before stopping herself and automatically stepping closer to Ron if that was even possible. She coughed quietly and tried again with a deep breath. 'We... need your help.'

Smiles began to grow on the faces of the parents and adults of the group as they inwardly sighed in relief at the admission of accepting others' help.

'Please,' choked out Ron, not knowing what else to say to the people who had known if his whole life. 'It's Harry.'

It was at these two words that Ginny immediately stood up. She looked at her brother and best friend and though she knew that she would never share the exact same bond as the trio of hero's, at that moment a new sense of respect and love passed between the three that could never have been transformed into spoken words. But it was there and deep down it healed a small part of each of them, though the pain of the present was too imposing for it to be felt in that moment.

'He's outside,' Ron said quietly looking directly at Ginny, his words only really for her. For he recognised now, as Ginny raced past them with a grateful yet worried look across her face, that the grounding and comfort he got from just having Hermione at his side was exactly what was between Harry and Ginny. And exactly what Harry needed. He hoped fervently as he and Hermione lead the rest of their family out to their final lost family member.

Note: Thanks for reading, always greatly appreciate any reviews. Please remember this is only my interpretation as I appreciate not everyone will agree with me but please be nice :) Thanks again