10. The End of the Beginning

Harry Potter regained consciousness in the hospital wing of Hogwarts Castle. Dumbledore put aside the scroll he was reading and chirped a gleeful, "Good afternoon, Harry!"
"Wha...what happened?" Harry asked groggily.

The ancient wizard gave this a great deal of thought. "Love," he finally said. "Love happened."

"Um, could you be a little more specific?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes sparkled. "It's Voldemort's Achilles Heel, you see. He doesn't understand it. He cannot grasp how or why someone would, or even could, care for someone else more than him-or-herself. Eleven years ago, a prior manifestation of Voldemort warned him of the dangers of attacking you and told him that you were protected by your mother's love. But he simply forgot because the concept is so foreign to him. He tried to kill you, and the spell rebounded on him."

"So, he's dead?"

"Not dead, no. He's in somewhat the state you've been for the past eleven years. More like a shade of yourself, or more accurately, more like a shade of a shade, just a whisper hanging onto this side of oblivion."

"We've won then? His evil has been defeated?"

"Oh hardly that. The Death Eaters still control the Ministry of Magic, most of the country, and all too much of the world. But today, we took back Hogwarts. They didn't suspect that jolly old Professor Pastlepoof was really the world's most powerful wizard, and so I was able to ambush them. It was quite merry, I must admit. It's a shame you had to miss it.

"So it's not the end," continued Dumbledore. "It's not even the beginning of the end. But perhaps, it is the end of the beginning. Voldemort's rise to power had been broken; he's been banish; and his Death Eaters have suffered their first major defeat in years."

Professor McGonagall came up next to Dumbledore.

"Ahh, Minerva! I see that Madam Sprout's mandrake root has done the trick. It's good to see you up and around!"

"Thank you, professor. I am feeling much better, so I stopped by to see if you have any instructions for me."

Dumbledore nodded. "In fact I have two: one which you will find very pleasant, and the second, which you will not find pleasant at all."

"Whatever you wish, Head Master."

"First, I'd like you to do everything necessary to reconstitute Gryffindor House."

"Gladly, Professor. Thrice gladly!"

"And second, send an owl to Molly Weasley. Tell her that I am rescinding the expulsion order for Fred and George Weasley."

"Oh professor, no! Are you sure you want to do that?"

Dumbledore nodded. "For the past decade, there has been entirely too much discipline and order around here. It's time we injected a little mayhem into the mix."

A cackling voice cried out, "My thoughts exactly!"

Dumbledore looked down to see that the hem of his robes was on fire. Professor McGonagall shrieked as Dumbledore beat the flames out.

Peeves shot away and around a corner. He cried over his shoulder as he went. "Welcome back, professor! A very warm welcome back! Hee hee hee!"

The End