For nearly a week, Harry, Hermione and Ginny remained at Grimmauld Place, working from sunrise to sunset in an attempt to get the house back in working order. Even with the ability to perform magic, the specifics of repairing the house often requires hours of tedious spellwork to ensure that things went back in the proper order. They learned their lesson about trying to do it all at once when pieces from the wall combined with the plumbing in the walls behind it on their first attempt.

Harry had said at the time that they should have learned their lesson from trying to repair the castle.

Over the course of the last few days, most of the lowest level of the house was back in working order, especially the living room where the three of them spent most of their time. The kitchen, with no help from Kreacher, was slowly getting back in order as was the bathroom and dining room.

The tapestry room had not been touched.

On the upper levels, only the three bedrooms where each of them were staying had even begun work and that was mostly so that they could sleep without laying on piles of rubble. The only exception on the upper levels was the library, which Hermione had taken to cleaning in between major jobs on the lower levels.

All in all, the house was beginning to look like just that again, albeit slowly. Still, Harry enjoyed the work. It was detailed and mind-numbing and gave him a purpose that didn't involve dark magic or the destruction of anyone's soul, a marked improvement over the previous seventeen years of his life.

Finally, Ginny made the decision to return to the Burrow. She explained to Hermione and Harry that she just needed to go back and visit to see how her parents were doing and then she would return home. Harry and Hermione offered to go with her but Ginny declined, citing the potential for a second bout between Harry and Ron.

Plus, Ginny wanted the opportunity to talk to her parents now that they were effectively alone in the house, with only a moody Ron to share their home. As each of the Weasley siblings had left The Burrow, they had stopped by to see how the residents of Grimmauld Place were doing.

Bill had even helped Harry restore the Fidelius Charm and the wards, meaning that once again Grimmauld Place was hidden to the world.

Ginny expected that Ron was likely much calmer now that he had been when they had last seen him but Harry wasn't so certain. Ron could hold a grudge better than almost anyone as Harry had experienced first hand during his fourth year.

Ginny had countered by telling Harry that she expected him to be calmer but that did not mean that he would be cordial.

Sure enough, when Ginny returned from her visit with her parents, it was with a frustrated scowl plastered on her face.

"That went well, I see." Hermione said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ronald is being an ass." Ginny grumbled as she collapsed in her seat in front of the fireplace in the front sitting room where Harry and Hermione had been when she returned home.

"How so?" Harry asked.

"I only saw him for about two seconds at first but it certainly was memorable." Ginny replied. "He came downstairs, saw that I was there and turned and marched out of the room. I'm pretty sure that he mumbled "traitor" as he climbed the stairs."

"Ron doesn't necessarily handle adversity well. We know that." Hermione said, obviously doing her best to excuse Ron's behavior.

Harry wasn't having it.

"Hermione, we both know that Ron will eventually come around. He doesn't need you to cover for him." Harry said, before adding, "He was being rude and disrespectful. When he apologizes, we'll forgive him. Until then, he's being an ass."

"Like I said." Ginny added with a grin. "Anyway, when I was done talking to Mum and Dad, I may or may not have barged into his room and demanded that he stop being such a putz."

"I'm sure that when well." Harry said.

"Actually, it went better than I had hoped." Ginny replied honestly. "We ended up talking for about an hour. Basically, Ron isn't the type of person that can be friends with a girl without developing feelings for her."

"Well, isn't that just a wonderful reason for falling in love with me?" Hermione said, her voice dark and gravelly.

"That's basically what I told him." Ginny replied. "He just doesn't get the fact that you and Harry can be friends and not be in love. I just told him that you two are like siblings."

"Hermione is my best friend." Harry said firmly. "She has been for years."

"Same." Hermione replied.

"I know." Ginny said, although Harry thought that he heard something that sounded like regret in her voice. "Anyway, I explained that to Ronald. He said something along the lines of "but she's always looking out for him instead of me" to which I told him that I don't think it's ever been an either-or situation for Hermione."

"It hasn't." Harry agreed. "Hermione has saved both of our asses more times that I could count."

"We all know that." Ginny said. "I think even Ron knows that but that doesn't mean that he really understands that. Ron has always been petty. In his head, he keeps a ledger. One for you, one for me. It doesn't matter how big a favor is, it counts as one."

"But why? We're friends." Harry replied in confusion.

"I don't know." Ginny admitted. "But it's just the way he is. Everything will always be a tally with him. I don't think that he means anything bad by it. I think it's the result of having as many siblings as we did. He spent years getting hung up on whether he was getting the same thing as the rest of us."

"Why didn't that happen to you?" Hermione asked.

Ginny shrugged. "Dunno. Guess by the time you get to the last of seven children, that kind of thing just seems a bit stupid."

Harry couldn't say that he disagreed but it was an interesting insight into the mind of his friend. Ron would eventually come around, once he got over the fact that he felt like the ledger between Harry and Ron was weighted heavily in Harry's favor.

Unfortunately, with as often as Harry was put in danger and as often as Hermione went out of her way to help him, that wasn't going to be soon if Harry had his guess. Still, he knew that one day, Ron would come to his senses.

At least that was Harry's hope.

Later that evening, after Harry was suffering another bout of insomnia, he sat on the balcony that Harry had built that connected all three of the rooms that the occupants of Grimmauld Place had chosen. It was late, well after three o'clock in the morning, when Harry took his seat with a bottle of firewhiskey to accompany him. Harry never drank much more than a single glass at a time but for some reason, he still enjoyed the aesthetic of having the bottle on the table next to him, like he was one of the wealthy Muggles he used to see on the television.

Of course, then Harry would remember that he was secretly wealthier than almost everyone that he knew.

Recently, when Harry couldn't sleep, he would simply sit on the balcony and watch the city. This area of London was quiet, relatively tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown area. Still, a few times there had been large groups of people wandering the streets behind Grimmauld Place, completely unaware of his presence due to the fact that they weren't keyed into the Grimmauld Place wards.

But most of the time, it was silent and Harry simply sat and looked out over the lights of the city, watching as they burned brightly until the sun came up over the horizon or he fell asleep, whichever happened first.

That night, however, he did not get to simply watch the horizon. Only a few seconds after he sat down, Harry heard a cry come from one of the other rooms in the house. All three rooms that Harry, Hermione and Ginny stayed in had been redesigned when Harry had added this balcony. When he had done that, he had added a large set of double doors that exited onto the shared balcony. Already, there had been two occasions where Harry had awoken in the morning to find Ginny and Hermione sitting on the balcony, sharing breakfast and watching as the city awoke.

At first, Harry chose to ignore the sound. It wasn't that he didn't care. It was that it wasn't the first time it had happened. No one slept well anymore, not with everything that had happened over the last month. Some nights, it was Hermione. Others, it was Ginny. Most of the time, the cries only last a few minutes and barely made it out of their room.

This was not most of the time. Almost immediately after the first cry came a second. This time, it was clearly identifiable as Ginny's voice. Not simply because the timbre, which Harry would have recognized anywhere.

No, it was because of what she yelled.

"Fred!" Harry heard her shout a second time as he stood from his seat. Even as he moved closer to her room, he felt like he was intruding. Still, Harry had experienced enough terrible dreams over the years that he knew that he would always prefer to be awoken rather than continue sleeping.

Again, Ginny cried out just as Harry reached the double door. Looking through the glass windows in the door, Harry could see Ginny, her eyes clenched shut, writhing back and forth in her bed, clearing trying to fight off some sort of invisible enemy. Without making a sound, Harry opened the door and crept inside, still afraid of what would happen when he woke her up.

Hopefully, she wouldn't be upset that he had effectively broken into her room.

Harry sat on the edge of the bed as Ginny shook with invisible fear, her body twisting and turning as if she was being electrocuted. Fighting the urge to cry or run, Harry instead took a hand and placed it on Ginny's shoulder, shaking her slightly as he whispered her name.

Nothing changed as Ginny continued to fight through her nightmares, alone against the demons in her mind.

Then, she screamed again. But this time, her demon was different.

"Not him." she whispered through clenched teeth, her jaw clearly strained. "It can't be him….Harry…."

Harry had never heard Ginny sound like that. The desperation in her voice….she sounded weak, something he would have never associated with the bull-headed youngest Weasley. Again, Harry shook her, this time speaking louder.

Sobs racked Ginny's body as her mind mourned for someone who wasn't dead.

"Please, take me instead….." she pleaded to no one. At that moment, Harry couldn't take it any longer.

"GINNY!" Harry shouted as her eyes snapped open. At first, it was clear that she didn't know where she was. She had been so lost in her nightmare that being brought back to the world as quickly as she did would surely confuse her.

But then, as Ginny's expression changed from confusion to horror, he realized that it was not the location that surprised her.

It was him.

He was supposed to be dead.

"Ginny…" Harry whispered as Ginny crawled to the far side of the bed in a rush, grabbing her wand from the side table and aiming it at Harry's glasses.

"You-you're dead."

"Ginny, I'm not." Harry said softly. "Just remember."

"I saw you. Hagrid had you."

Harry gently lifted his hand and pushed Ginny's wand to the side before placing a gentle hand on her cheek. Almost instantly, she sank against the pressure of his hand, sobbing as she fell into it.

"He did. I came back." Harry whispered as he took her head in his hands, kissing her gently on the forehead.

"You did." Ginny whispered, her eyes flickering up towards him. "I remember."

"It was a nightmare."

Ginny nodded. "The worst."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Harry said as he lowered his hands away from her face, taking her hands in his.

Ginny shook her head.

"OK." Harry replied. "I can sit over in the corner if you want. I'm not going to sleep anyway."

"No." Ginny answered.

"It's really alright. I don't-"

"Can you stay with me?"

The question stopped Harry in his tracks as he swallowed hard.

"With you? Like...in your bed?"

"We're adults now, Harry." Ginny reminded him. "Plus, it's not like you're going to sleep with me."

Even though Ginny's voice was barely above a whisper, that moment sounded like a veiled shot against his decision to not pursue a relationship with her. Plus, he wasn't going to fight her on the technicality that she wasn't an adult until August. Still, Ginny was one of his closest friends and she was clearly struggling. While he was certainly not comfortable with the idea of staying with her for a variety of reasons, he trusted her and he trusted that this was what she needed.

"Right." Harry said as he laid down next to Ginny. At same time, Ginny threw the sheets over Harry before resting her body against him. Immediately, every muscle in Harry's body froze. He knew that he was being silly. He was seventeen years old and Ginny had survived enough in her life to be considered an adult, at least in everything other than age.

Still, this was the closest he had ever been to another girl, especially in this kind of...environment. For a few seconds, Harry fought against the urge to flee. Instead, he took several deep breaths and then turned to Ginny, who had rolled onto her side next to him, placing a single arm over her.

If Harry's urge to flee had been strong before, it was working overtime when he realized that Ginny was only barely clothed, a t-shirt that barely covered the top of her abs and underwear were all she wore. The feeling of skin on skin immediately caused Harry's mind to begin imagining certain, "extracurricular" activities with Ginny, something that he had imagined many times before.

But that had always occurred in the private and certainly not with the object of his imagination pressed against him with only the smallest amount of clothing on.

"Did you bring your wand with you to bed, Harry?"

If Harry had been embarrassed before, even mortified wasn't a strong enough word to describe how he felt at the moment. Harry sputtered, attempting to come up with words to explain himself as he pulled away from Ginny. Before he could do that, however, Ginny turned, her face less than an inch from his.

"It's okay, Harry." Ginny whispered softly, her voice doing more to him that his imagination could have ever done. "I'm not expecting you to be my boyfriend."

For a moment, Harry had the thought that Ginny had somehow faked her nightmares to trick Harry into her bed. But, if he was being honest, she wouldn't have had to do that and she knew it. All it would have taken was a simple pull on his wrist into her room one night. Regardless of how he felt about a permanent relationship, Ginny was well aware of how Harry felt about her.

Suddenly, Harry felt Ginny's hand on his wrist. She took his hand and pressed it against her bare stomach. When he made contact, Harry's eyes flashed back up to hers. For a moment, she simply stared before leaning forward, placing the gentlest of kisses on his lips.

"Don't think, Harry. We'll deal with this in the morning. For one night, be with me."

Despite a massive part of his brain telling him to run out of the room, Harry listened to her, nodding gently as Ginny kissed him again. This time, however, there was nothing gentle about it.

In fact, there wasn't much gentle about what occurred in that room over the next hour. It was passionate and urgent and, if they both being honest, a little angry and frustrated. While there was no question that they loved each other, what they were doing had nothing to do with love. Simply put, it was a release that both of them needed. Deep in their minds, they knew this would make things between them more complicated.

At the moment, neither of them cared.

When Harry awoke in the morning, he noticed two things. First, Ginny wasn't in bed. But considering that her clothes had been picked up from the floor, Harry assumed that she gone to shower.

The second peculiarity that Harry noticed was a letter on the side table next to him. As Harry opened it, he noticed the Hogwarts crest on the envelope. Pulling out the letter on the inside, Harry immediately recognized the writing as that of his former professor, Minerva McGonagall.

Harry,

I will be in London this afternoon. If it is not too much of a burden, I would like to meet you at the Leaky Cauldron. Please reply with a time that will work for you. I will have Tom arrange a special room for the two of us.

Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Harry reread the letter a few times, two things sticking out at him. First, McGonagall's signature included her new title: Headmistress of Hogwarts. It was not unexpected but Harry was a bit surprised that he hadn't seen the news in the Daily Prophet.

It was possible that it was a new development, Harry thought.

The second thing Harry noticed was that this meeting that she wanted was just between the two of them. This meant that it was something related to Harry in particular, rather than something related to his defeat of Voldemort or something of that nature.

Naturally, Harry couldn't resist his curiosity at what McGonagall had in store for him. Quickly, he sent back a reply with a time in the afternoon that he would be available. That done, Harry stood up, dressing as he made his way to the door.

Harry intended to head towards the bathroom where he could shower. Unfortunately, there was a person in his way: Hermione Granger with the largest grin on her face that Harry had ever seen.

"Lost?" Hermione said as Harry finished buttoning the jeans that he had been wearing the previous night.

Harry's initial instinct was to lie. However, Hermione wasn't stupid and clearly knew what had happened.

"Something to say, Hermione?"

"Just that if you two are going to keep doing this, we need to soundproof your room." Hermione smirked.

"You're not angry?"

"You're an adult and Ginny is...well, she's Ginny." Hermione replied. "Just make sure that Ron doesn't find out that you're doing anything more than snogging."

"I don't think we have to worry about that." Harry countered as she slipped past Hermione, headed towards the bathroom. "It's not like he's talking to us right now."

"I know but if you keep this up, he'll find out."

"I'm sure he will." Harry replied as he pulled the door to the bathroom open. However, when he had gotten distracted by Hermione, he had forgotten that he had expected Ginny to be in there.

Which she was. Standing on the other side of the door with just a towel covering her was Ginny. Her eyes flashed quickly between Harry and Hermione before resting on Harry.

"She knows?"

"Apparently, we were not quiet." Harry said, chuckling softly.

"Sounds about right." Ginny said before grabbing the door handle, closing the door behind her as she stepped out into the hallway and joined the other two. "Want to join next time, Hermione?"

For the last few minutes, Hermione had definitely had the advantage in their conversation. With one comment, however, Ginny had flipped the conversation entirely, causing Hermione's face to go completely red.

"But, you two-"

"He's not my boyfriend." Ginny replied, something that in the past would have infuriated Harry. Now, he found that it gave him a certain amount of comfort that Ginny didn't seem to regret what they had done but also wasn't expecting some sort of commitment from him. "He's free to sleep with whoever he wants. I can't imagine him turning down the both of us."

Hermione looked as if her head was about to explode. While Harry found it to be hilarious, he also didn't want to have to take his best friend to St. Mungo's.

At least, not without one final barb.

"Go get dressed." Harry scoffed in Ginny's direction before turning back to Hermione. "She was just kidding. Well, sort of, I mean, I certainly wouldn't have turned the both of you down."

That was the final straw. Hermione threw her hands up in the air and growled in frustration, causing Harry to laugh uproariously. Behind Harry, he could hear Ginny laughing as well. Once Harry saw that Hermione was out of sight, he turned back to Ginny.

"Just so we're clear," Harry started, his tone clearly indicating that he was being serious. "We're good? No regrets about what we did?"

"None." Ginny confirmed. "I heard what you said about not being certain what you want. Last night, I wanted you. But I had no hopes that it was suddenly going to change things between us. In fact, I suppose it was a nice way of saying goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

"Not goodbye, really. It's just that...I have a date tonight with Neville." Ginny explained. "To be honest, I'm glad we were able to get together last night. There's no regret, there's nothing we missed. Now, we can move on."

"I agree." Harry said simply before leaning down to kiss Ginny. "Tell Neville I said hi."

"Where are you going?"

"I have a meeting with McGonagall today." Harry replied. "I need some new robes anyway so I'm going to go grab those and then meet with her."

"Well, tell her that I expect to be named Quidditch captain this fall."

"I'm certain that's exactly why she wanted to talk to me." Harry laughed as he walked away.

After a quick shower, Harry was out the door. Apparating directly into Madame Malkin's had been a good idea for avoiding attention. However, the longer he remained in the robe parlor, the more attention he drew. By the time he was ready to leave, there was a crowd gathered outside of the store.

Harry could have easily Apparated from Madame Malkin's to the Leaky Cauldron. However, he knew that even the briefest of public appearances could sate the appetite of the public, specifically the media. So, as Harry walked the length of Diagon Alley, he answered almost a dozen questions that were lobbed at him from the center of a mob.

Each question was answered with a clenched grin on his face.

When Harry arrived at The Leaky Cauldron, he was pleased to see that the crowd wasn't stupid enough to follow him inside. Of course, that likely had something to do with the stern look on the face of Minerva McGonagall, who stood in front of Tom, clearly waiting.

"Sorry, Professor." Harry murmured. "I did my best."

"You gave them what they wanted, Potter." McGonagall observed. "You'll have to do that every so often for the rest of your life."

"I'm aware." Harry replied before changing the subject. "Where are we going?"

"Take my hand." McGonagall replied, her palm towards the air as she held her hand in front of her. Harry didn't dare argue with her. The second he touched her hand, he felt the familiar sensation of Apparition. Within seconds, The Leaky Cauldron had disappeared, replaced by the familiar setting of the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts.

"Didn't think I'd be back here so soon." Harry said as he took the same chair he had sat in dozens of times across from the Headmistress' desk. This time, however, the face peering at him from the other side wasn't Albus Dumbledore.

Some things change, others don't.

"Life is full of surprises, Potter." McGonagall mused softly. "How is life at Grimmauld Place?"

"You remember the name?"

"I do. However, I cannot seem to remember where it is located or what it looks like, which prevents me from going there. I'm hoping that will change by the end of our conversation."

"What exactly will that be about?" Harry asked, careful to not seem to forward.

"Your future." McGonagall replied. "I was told by our new Minister of Magic that you have declined his invitation to join the Aurors."

"I have."

"May I ask why? It was my understanding that becoming an Auror was your greatest dream."

"That dream changes when you spend an entire year focusing on killing a single Dark wizard. I can't imagine even considering doing something like that for the rest of my life."

"Joining the Aurors doesn't have to be for the rest of your life." McGonagall reasoned. "You could always join for the next couple of years and then leave when you feel your time is up."

"I took care of Voldemort, Professor. My time is up now." Harry insisted.

McGonagall considered him for a moment. Much Dumbledore, McGonagall seemed to possess the ability to look straight through a person. Harry knew now that Dumbledore had been performing some basic levels of Legilimency on him during those instances in an attempt to discern just how truthful Harry was being.

"If that's the case, then I would offer you a place back at Hogwarts."

This was just as Harry had expected. There were rumors that the expected attendance of the school for the upcoming fall term was going to be significantly reduced from years past. Considering enrollment had already been dwindling in the years before Harry started at the boarding school, that was a frightening development.

Harry's presence at the school would certainly be publicized in an attempt to instill confidence in the school's security and the safety of its students.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I'm not certain that I want to be a student again."

"What about a teacher?"

That was not what Harry expected.

"Excuse me?"

"I cannot simply give you the position. Unfortunately, it is required by the Ministry of Magic that you finish your NEWTS in order to become a professor at this school. However, if you returned to school, you could begin an apprenticeship in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Once your year of schooling finished, you would be able to do your year of required extended education co-teaching with our current professors."

Harry was stunned. He had expected the pitch to be about returning as a student. But the idea of returning as a teacher-in-training was not at all what Harry had expected.

"I don't know what to say."

"Consider the offer. That's all I need from you today." McGonagall smirked. "By the end of July, I need to know one way or the other. My professors have agreed to the position regardless but their futures will be determined by your choice."

"Who are the professors?"

"Bill and Fleur Weasley." McGonagall replied. "Bill signed a one year contract while he waits for his employment with Gringotts to be reinstated. Fleur is signed for two years. Once her contract is up, you would take the position full-time."

"They're okay with that?"

"They both agreed to the position as a temporary solution until you had finished completing your qualifications, which we all agree are woefully unnecessary and yet entirely mandatory."

A dozen different thoughts raced through Harry's head. But the first one was the one that Harry uttered.

"Why me?"

The response he got was not one he expected. Instead of answering with words, Minerva McGonagall laughed. Not a small chuckle or a grin, not like McGonagall normally would have done. Instead, this laugh came from deep within, a belly laugh like that of a child.

"What?" Harry asked, surprised by her reaction.

"Potter, one day, I hope that you can truly understand your place in the world." McGonagall commented gently. "There are a few names from every generation that last beyond their current generation and then there are the one or two whose names will become ubiquitous for all time."

"That just means that I am famous for something that I had no control over."

"Not anymore." McGonagall fired back. "For sixteen years, your story was defined by the death of your parents. But when people tell the story of Harry Potter, that day will not longer be the one they mention first. It will be May 2nd, 1998."

If he was being honest, Harry had never truly considered that his legacy would be changed by what he had done. In his mind, he would always be The Boy Who Lived, regardless of what he did with the rest of his life.

"What does that have to do with me being a professor?"

"Because your legacy from The Battle will not be about how you fought Voldemort or how you appeared to come back from the dead a second time. It will be about how you returned to Hogwarts and inspired us all to fight back. I am certain you saw how your classmates reacted when you returned. For months, they had been simply surviving. Your return to the castle, even though you brought only two others with you, meant that they could finally fight back."

"Why?" Harry asked earnestly. "They could have fought without me."

"And they did. But it wasn't the same. Harry, since you were eleven years old, you have been inspiring others. You convinced two first years to go after the Sorcerer's Stone. You managed to convince half the wizarding world that Voldemort had returned without any of them actually seeing him. Harry, you quite literally led a wizarding army in your fifth year against an oppressive government."

McGonagall leaned over the table, her hands just underneath her chin with her fingertips touching. In that moment, with her glasses slightly hiding her eyes behind them, it was amazing how much she reminded him of his former Headmaster.

"Your ability to inspire others is what sets you apart from everyone else with your abilities, impressive as they are. I believe that above all else, this is the job of a teacher. Students will listen to you because of what you have seen and because of who you are. Others would abuse that power but I know you, Harry, and I know that you understand the burden of leadership and the power that it can have. In addition, once you finish your extra year of education before taking the position, your combined experience and expertise would make you the most qualified candidate for the position not named Kingsley Shacklebolt or Gawain Robards, both of whom have no interest in the position."

Professor Minerva McGonagall was not known for idle flattery so Harry knew that she meant every word of what she said. Harry attempted to find the words to express to her what her opinion meant to him but in the end, he found his words to be lacking. Instead, he simply nodded his thanks to her.

"As I said, Mr. Potter, I do not require an answer from you today." McGonagall replied as she stood from her seat. "But do give it some thought. I think that you could do great things if you stayed."

"I will." Harry croaked, his voice suddenly malfunctioning. McGonagall nodded gently and then with a whisk of her cloak that subtly reminded Harry of his former Potions Master, she was gone. Harry remained seated for the next several minutes, considering what might lie in his future.

The idea of returning to Hogwarts fascinated him. Of that, there was no doubt. But like Ron, Harry had enjoyed the idea of beginning a life outside of school. However, Harry realized that when he tried to imagine that, he came up with nothing. At the very least, he could spend the next year at Hogwarts and if he decided that he didn't want to stay, there was nothing keeping him from leaving.

Harry returned to Grimmauld Place and dedicated the rest of his evening to the continued renovation of the home, spending most of his time attempting to get the chandelier in the newly created dining room attached to the ceiling. Since it had not been originally part of the house, it was considerably harder to fix than the rest of the house had been. After nearly an hour of work, Harry flipped the light switch and the room glowed with the light of the hundred magical candles that were inside the chandelier.

This was a kind of magic that Harry had never truly explored before. When he had started remodeling Grimmauld Place, he had never expected how much he would enjoy the work. However, the fact that Harry was finally able to find a use for magic other than trying to harm other people was likely a contributing factor.

As Harry flipped the lights off, Hermione and Ginny, back from her date with Neville, entered the room, envelopes in hand.

"What are those?" Harry asked.

"You'll want to read it yourself." Hermione replied, a look of worry on her face.

Taking the envelope with his name on it, Harry tore it open and pulled out a letter from the Ministry of Magic.

Harry James Potter,

In the aftermath of The Battle of Hogwarts, eleven Death Eaters and one ally were captured by members of the Order of the Phoenix, a paramilitary organization under the leadership of Albus Dumbledore, then Alastor Moody and finally Kingsley Shacklebolt. Due to the outstanding nature of the crimes these men and women have been accused of committing, the Ministry of Magic has established a tribunal court for the specific purpose of trying these offenders and, if necessary, establishing the appropriate measure of punishment.

This tribunal will hear testimony from over one hundred people in relation to the crimes of the accused. Due to the expected value of your testimony, you have been called to testify on the whereabouts and actions of the following individuals:

Amycus Carrow
Antonin Dolohov
Gregory Goyle Sr
Fenrir Greyback
Samuel Jugson
Rabastan Lestrange
Rodolphus Lestrange
William Mulciber Jr
WIlliam Mulciber Sr
Augustus Rookwood
Dolores Umbridge
Corbin Yaxley

The date of your testimony has yet to be established. You will receive a letter one week before your anticipated date of testimony. Testimony is mandatory. Failure to report to the Ministry of Magic on your assigned date will result in the appropriate legal action taken against you by the Ministry of Magic.

The tribunal will begin on July 1 and is expected to last as long as six months.

Questions and/or concerns are to be directed to the Office of the Minister of Magic.

Robert Robinson
Chief Warlock of The Death Eater Tribunal Committee

Harry read the entire letter twice before looking up at the other two.

"Who did you guys get called to testify against?" Harry asked.

"Dolohov, Greyback and Umbridge." Hermione replied.

"The same plus Carrow." Ginny added. "I can't believe this is really happening. These bastards deserve everything this Tribunal throws at them."

"They do." Harry admitted. "But they have to do this the right way and so do we."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"First, I need to talk to Kingsley. There's certain part of our story that I don't want on the public record."

"How would you avoid that?" Hermione questioned him.

"If Kingsley could get me to testify in front of the Wizengamot, I could tell them the entire story and then lock it behind a protective order from the Minister of Magic. That would allow the Tribunal to access it for reference and I wouldn't have to recount that information in public."

"That means letting the Wizengamot know about….them." Hermione said with a sideways glance at Ginny.

"Horcruxes." Harry replied, looking pointedly at the both of them. "I should have trusted more people with that information to begin with. Ginny, the short story is that Voldemort broke his soul into seven pieces and hid them in magical artifacts across the country. We had to destroy them before he could be killed."

"Oh damn." Ginny whispered before her eyes suddenly widened with realization. "The diary. It felt so real. Was it…"

"Yes, it was a Horcrux." Harry confirmed. Immediately, Ginny's face went from one of confusion to rage. Before Ginny could explode, he took her by the shoulders. "Yes, we should have told you. I realize that now, Gin. We made some mistakes about this whole thing. If I could go back and do everything over again, there are at least two dozen things that I would do differently. As it is, we can't go back and we can't change them. I should have told you then. I didn't but I'm telling you now. You are the only person other than Ron and Hermione that knows the whole story."

Hermione coughed gently at the idea that Harry had told Ginny the whole story. For a moment, Harry was confused as to what she meant.

The Forest. That's what she meant, Harry realized.

"What is that?" Ginny asked when she noticed Hermione's reaction.

"That...is a part of the story that I'm not ready to tell yet." Harry said, his head dropping gently. "That part is personal."

"Who knows it?" Ginny asked.

"Just her." Harry admitted. "Not even Ron knows that part."

Harry could tell that the knowledge that Harry would choose to tell Hermione but not her hurt. But, Harry could also tell that she understood why. Ginny had grown up a lot over the last few years and her understanding of his relationship with Hermione was better than anyone else's. She knew what the world couldn't quite seem to understand: Harry and Hermione were certainly connected in a way that Ron and her weren't but that didn't mean that they were in love with each other. Hermione was the closest thing that Harry would ever have to a sister. Anyone that stood a chance of having a valuable relationship with Harry needed to understand that there was no one that Harry trusted more than Hermione, something that was not likely to change even if either one of them ever got married.

"Well, maybe one day." Ginny said gently. "I'm just glad you have someone that can share your burden. No one deserves to have all that weight on their shoulders without some help."

"Thanks, Gin." Harry replied earnestly, genuinely happy that she understood where he was coming from and who he was. At this point, she understood that far better than her brother, a shocking reality considering how much more time Harry had spent with Ron than her.

Harry supposed that there was probably some truth that girls mature faster than boys, especially one who had been through as much in her life as GInny.

"You really intend to tell the Ministry of Magic about the Horcruxes?" Hermione asked. "I know you said something about that before but I thought you were kidding."

"If I tell them the whole story, one time, I can get that story locked away. Forever, hopefully. If not, at least it will be a few years and we'll have captured all of Voldemort's lackeys by then."

"Here's hoping." Ginny replied. "The Malfoys are still out there."

It was true. The leading Death Eater family had disappeared from Hogwarts sometime after The Battle. No one knew where they had gone but Harry widely suspected that they had managed to flee the country. It was one of his great regrets that Lucius Malfoy wouldn't get what he was owed: a jail cell until he died of old age.

"I'm sure Kingsley and The Aurors will catch them." Hermione assured her.

"Here's hoping." Harry agreed quietly. Harry turned to walk away before he heard the sound of a piece of paper hitting the ground. Looking down, he saw that another piece of paper had fallen out of Hermione's envelope.

"Hermione, what's that?" Harry asked.

"I'm not certain. I didn't see that before." she said as she leaned down to pick it up. Gently pulling it open, Hermione's eyes scanned the small piece of paper. As she did, her eyes seem to pick up speed, reading at speeds that Harry couldn't have even imagined without a massive headache.

"What is it?" Ginny asked gently. Clearly, whatever it was was important based on the look in Hermione's eyes. Finally, she looked up, a grin on her face wider than Harry had ever seen.

"They found my parents. We leave in two days to go and get them."