It was late when the foursome got back to the Gryffindor common room again. Everyone went to their normal dormitories and the boys were with their usual roommates again. Harry couldn't sleep though. Less than a day after ending the war he'd had to re-live it all again. Ron however slept soundly, snoring so loudly that Harry was astounded that Neville, Dean and Shamus were sleeping as well. So instead of sleeping, Harry tried to distract himself by thinking of Ginny.
Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron had been the last to leave the classroom where they'd held the meeting. The two couples had walked back in silence, though holding hands. They'd separated some to say their good nights, with each couple occupying separate corners of the common room, but seemed that neither Ginny nor he quite knew what to say. Harry had expected more questions, particularly from her, but she had only looked at him, murmured 'Good night Harry," kissed him on the cheek and turned away. Harry wasn't certain what to make of that, though gradually he fell asleep trying.
Harry was the first one awake the next morning. He took advantage of the quiet to shower and shave in private unlike what he'd been allowed to do the previous day.
The common room was deserted when he went down, and so Harry kept on walking. Did didn't quite know where he was going, but he walked with determination, following his feet in whatever direction they seemed inclined to go. He wasn't surprised when he found himself outside the entrance to the headmaster's office.
"Can I go in?" he asked the gargoyle. "Is Professor McGonagall awake?"
"Go in," it said. "She has been waiting for you."
Harry nodded. He wasn't particularly surprised by this either. He rode the spiral staircase up to the door and knocked.
"Come in," Professor McGonagall's voice called.
Harry walked in. "Good morning Professor," Harry said.
"Some how he knew you were coming and awakened me," Professor McGonagall said with a nod towards Dumbledore's portrait.
"He probably heard I was coming," Harry suggested reasonably.
"Probably. Sit down Mr. Potter. Tea?" she offered. She held a steaming tea kettle in her hands and a tea pot stood ready on the corner of her desk, waiting to receive it.
"Please Professor. I thought you might have questions," Harry explained.
"Yes indeed," Professor McGonagall agreed offering him a cup. He took it willingly, blowing across the steam for a bit before beginning to sip. "That was quite a story you told last evening," she said taking her own cup in her hands as she settled herself in her chair. "I knew it would be of course with Albus being what he was. If he was behind it I hardly expected it to be any thing else, and yet never in my wildest imaginings could I have figured out all that."
Harry nodded. "You did know bits of it though?" he asked.
"Well…I knew that Albus was working on something all those evenings he went away. He was looking for clues about the dark objects wasn't he?"
"Yes."
McGonagall eyed him carefully from across her cup. "What were they by the way?" she asked.
"Did you ask him?" Harry asked, referring to the portrait again.
"I did. He wouldn't say," McGonagall said.
Harry studied the sleeping figure of Dumbledore thoughtfully. "Humm," he said. "He worked on them in here. Most of them knew what he was doing. He even discussed it with them from time to time I think. I wonder if he charmed the portraits to ensure they couldn't give him away."
"Quite possible," McGonagall agreed. "But you can tell me though?"
Still Harry hesitated. Slowly he replaced his cup on the desk looking thoughtfully at her. "They were Horcruxes Professor," he said very, very softly, as though afraid he might be overheard.
"Horcruxes? Potter are you sure?" McGonagall asked aghast. "I thought Albus removed all information on Horcruxes from the library years ago."
"He did," Harry agreed. "But somehow Riddle learned what they were and how to make them anyway."
"But that's just….just…." McGonagall closed her eyes as if fighting back the urge to be sick.
"I know," Harry told her. "I don't know of anything quite so horrible as that. You can see though why we don't want the story of what he did to get around."
"Quite so," McGonagall agreed. "Now Mr. Potter, about your education…."
Harry raised an eyebrow at her at that.
"Have you considered what you would like to do about that?"
"Not really," Harry admitted. "I mean, I really didn't expect to survive all this, so the question about whether or not to come back to school or not didn't even occur to me."
"Quite understandable. However I wanted you to know that you would be welcome in the event you decide to come," she told him. "I understand from the Minister though that you may have other plans?"
"He does? I mean you do? …What?" Harry asked clearly confused.
"He didn't talk to you about this?" McGonagall asked.
"No Professor, he didn't," Harry said.
"Oh well, I expect he will. He is aware of your ambition to become an Auror Mr. Potter. He is also aware that your activities during this past year were the direct result of instructions you received last year from Professor Dumbledore, and he has asked me if I thought there was room in the schools charter to consider your task a specially assigned school project. For if there is this could be considered the completion of your seventh year," she explained.
"But Professor, aren't the NEWTS given at the end of seventh year?" Harry asked. "I haven't studied, I haven't learned what I would need to pass any of them I'm sure!"
"Perhaps." McGonagall studied him over the tops of her glasses. "The Weasleys all feel you should be home with them, however there is nearly a month of the school term left. You could remain if you wish, resume your classes, study what you missed. I have no doubt that you could catch up."
"Probably," Harry agreed. "but coming back to school ... I'm sorry Professor but I need some time to think about this."
"I understand Mr. Potter, but I thought you should know what your options are. What you decide to do is of course up to you."
"Thank you" Harry said. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not think about any of it just yet. I guess…" he raised his hands. They were trembling just as they had been at the end of the meeting the night before. "I think I just need to rest, to collect myself again before I can even begin to think about it. Can I let you know?"
"Of course Harry," she told him. She was smiling, with an uncommonly warm expression on her usually stern face. "By the end of the summer would be soon enough if you decide to come."
Harry nodded. That would give him more than four months to figure it out. "Thanks," he said rising again.
"Are you going home with the Weasleys?" she asked rising with him.
"Yes," Harry said. "I promised. Besides I don't have any other home to go to as of yet." Harry sighed. "Just another thing to think of, I guess."
"Yes, well you have time," she advised. "Nothing need be decided right away."
Harry smiled. "I appreciate that." He turned to leave."
"Please advise Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley that I wish to see them too before you leave," she said escorting him out.
"I'll do that Professor, and thanks again."
Harry took the stairs two at a time on the way back down to the Entrance Hall again. He had thought to go back to the common room to look for Ron, Hermione and Ginny before going in to breakfast, but they were already there.
"Harry! Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Yeah, seriously mate. Don't disappear on us like that," Ron scolded.
Harry shrugged. "You could have looked at the map. I left it on my bed."
"Oh yeah, sorry. I didn't think of that," Ron said sheepishly.
"So where were you?" Ginny asked.
"In with Professor McGonagall. She wanted to discuss my future."
"Oh," they all said.
"She wants to see you two too, before we leave today," Harry said to his two best friends.
"Oh. I suppose she wants us to come back to do our seventh year," Ron said.
"Of course we're coming back," Hermione said. "We have to finish our education."
Ron gave a pained look to Harry who just shrugged. "Not necessarily Hermione," Harry told them. "Go talk to her. See what she says."
"Where are you going?" Ron asked as Harry turned to leave.
"Breakfast," Harry declared and he took Ginny's hand and walked purposefully through the doors and into the Great Hall dining room.
The Great Hall looked a bit different from usual when they walked in. The long hall had been divided into two sections. The section nearest the doors was set up as usual with the four house tables and people scattered among them helping themselves to various breakfast foods. Half way along to the staff tables though, the room had been completely cleared and was occupied by a large number of people milling about and queuing to approach Professors Flitwick and Sprout who were sitting at the long staff table, speaking to the people at the front of the queues. Behind the tables was a huge pile of old tea kettles and random boots.
"What are they doing?" Harry asked Dean as they joined he and Seamus at the considerably shortened Gryffindor table.
"Making appointments to go home I think. Professor Sprout said they're not running the Hogwarts Express back to London this year, so they're sending us by floo powder or Portkey," Dean explained.
Harry nodded helping himself to bangers and eggs. The huge fireplaces towards the front of the hall also had queues in front of them, though not so long, and ever so often a fireplace would glow momentarily green as a witch or wizard disappeared in them.
"Who get's to go by Portkey?" Harry asked.
"Anyone without a fireplace at home," Dean began.
"Or who doesn't have a body to take home. Those are going by I think floo I think," Seamus supplied.
Sure enough, Harry saw a small collection of bodies floating nearby. Every so often a family member of those who had died would propel them to a fireplace and disappear with them.
"They just take them home?" Harry asked with a frown.
"Well there's a coroners charm put on them first I think," Dean suggested. The black boy shrugged. "At least that way they don't stink I don't think."
Harry's frown deepened. He couldn't imagine just taking a dead body home, even the body of a loved one, and he thought immediately of Fred.
"Ginny," he began with a half formed question about this still in his head.
"Dad, Bill, and Charlie took Fred home this morning Harry. We're going to bury him on Saturday," Ginny explained. "After the funeral."
"Families do that then?" Harry asked curiously.
Ginny frowned. "Of course. You wouldn't want strangers to bury them."
"Oh. I suppose," Harry said. These days there were very few things that could surprise him still about the wizarding world but this somehow did. He'd just assumed that there would be some sort of wizarding equivalent to a mortuary to take care of these sorts of things, but apparently he was wrong. His thoughts were interrupted before he could say more when Mrs. Weasley emerged from the thick crowd of people in the queues and swooped down on them.
"Oh Harry! I'm glad Ron found you." She frowned looking around at the young people sitting with Harry apparently surprised not to see her youngest son sitting there. "Where is he by the way?" she asked.
"He and Hermione went to see Professor McGonagall this morning. She asked to see them early before we left," Harry explained.
"Oh good," Mrs. Weasley said distractedly. "Harry you be sure to tell them, we all have floo appointments starting at one today. Arthur, Bill and Charlie went this morning to make certain it's safe to return. I just heard from them."
"The Burrow's okay then?" Harry asked.
"Well it's a bit of a mess. Apparently the Death Eaters searched it rather thoroughly looking for clues about where to find you, but obviously they didn't find anything. We'll need everyone's help to set things right again," she explained.
"Of course Mrs. Weasley, anything I can do."
"Oh no, you've done quite enough Harry. We can manage, but I do want you there. I want to keep an eye on you."
Harry frowned. Mrs. Weasley's over protective streak certainly hadn't weakened since his last stayed there.
"Mrs. Weasley, if there are things you need done, just tell me. I'd rather be helping you than just sitting around."
"Of course dear," she said absently, obviously not listening. "There's George. I need go tell him. Tell Ron and Hermione about the appointment when you see them then, won't you dear?"
"I will," Harry assured her.
She smiled distractedly at him, patted him on the shoulder then bustled over to where George sat with Lee Jordon at a nearby table.