Chapter 25 - The Trio

June 14, 1998

"Harry Potter Day," Harry said with disgust as he put The Daily Prophet down. "What use is that?"

Ginny just looked up at him from her side of the bed and shrugged. "People want to celebrate, Harry, and they want to celebrate you."

"But how could your dad do that to me?" he asked exasperated. "He knows…"

"I know, but how could he not? You saved everyone, Harry."

"Not everyone," Harry reminded her as he thought of Hermione. "Ron still won't talk to me."

"He'll come around, love."

Harry just shook his head slowly. "Somehow I don't think he will, Gin. I can't bring Hermione back and I could've if I'd only kept that damn stone."

Ginny finally crawled up to her knees and wrapped her arms around Harry. She knew a lot of his frustration did lay in the fact that he couldn't save Hermione. But she also knew that his pain went far beyond that. The last two years had taken a toll on Harry's appearance. He now had a scar running diagonal across his left eye, on his left arm was the long slash mark he'd gotten after the fire at the Dursley's home, running from Death Eaters. And the scars on his back were the worst. The ugly ribbon-like scars that had been split open repeatedly and weakened his flesh.

More damaging than the physical scars he had now was the fact that in some ways, Voldemort had won because he'd managed to harden Harry's spirit. He'd taken so many lives in the attempt to take Harry's that he ached for all of the people he couldn't and didn't save. He'd felt incredibly inadequate and celebrating him, devoting an entire day to him just stung him.

"Maybe I should leave the Wizarding World," he said miserably.

"You?" she asked pointedly. "And where would you go?"

"Back to the Muggles…. I wish Professor Dumbledore never told me I was a wizard."

Ginny gasped. "You don't mean that, Harry."

"Yes, I do!" His eyes met hers. "I don't want any of these feelings or memories that I have! Isn't it enough that I was orphaned? Why did I have to watch your mother be murdered? Why did I have to kill your brother? Why did my mum and dad, Sirius, Dumbledore and George die?"

After two days searching for George he was finally found amongst the dead in the battlefield. The Weasley clan had weathered the loss better than Harry expected and it saddened him to know that they'd been just as hardened as he was about loss. Fred was beginning to reel though as the reality of his twin not coming home finally sank in.

"What about Seamus and Doge? They all died because I gave him a body! If it weren't for me, Voldemort would still be floating around out there and they would all be alive!"

"Your mother and father died to protect you!" Ginny shouted back with tears in her eyes. "My mother died for you too! How can you take that for granted? You think that you brought Voldemort back?" She paused for an answer but Harry did not offer one. "He would have found a way without you, Harry! And he would have come for you anyway…Muggle, squib or wizard. He wanted you dead and that wouldn't have changed."

Harry finally looked into Ginny's teary eyes. "I can't believe you'd just abandon everything that you are… that we are, Harry. You're ready to just walk away from me?"

"I took Hermione away from Ron. I killed your mother. I killed George—"

"No, you didn't," she said quietly. "You killed Percy, you killed Voldemort." Ginny corrected him, but didn't add the others she knew, or suspected that he had killed. "They gave you no choice, Harry," she assured him as she pressed her hand to his, lacing her fingers between his, looking deep into his eyes.

"You can't give up on us. I won't let you punish yourself any further. The worst is over now, and you can breathe again," she carefully draped her arm around his body and pulled him into her so that she could hold him as he finally broke, tears flowing freely from his eyes. "I wish I could hold you tight enough that it would still this pain," tears spilled from her eyes as she continued. "There's so much more life to live than what you have, Harry, but there's no body left to fight."

Harry's sobs choked in his throat. And while her words were loving, welcome and comforting, they were frightening at the same time. The life he'd learned to live didn't exist anymore, and while he had demonstrated that he was strong enough to survive, he had never demonstrated the ability to live beyond conquering Voldemort.

"Ginny, I'm sorry…I'm so sorry." He felt like a child but couldn't stop the sobbing.

"It's going to be all right, Harry, I promise."

"How can you say that, Ginny?"

"Because I know how strong you are and I love you, Harry." He wrapped both of his arms around her waist and buried his face in her chest. "Besides, you did promise me a nice long honeymoon."

Harry laughed slightly at that comment. "Ginny, there's something I have to do first."

She nodded her head slowly at him. "I know, but just stay with me one more day."

Harry gave Ginny the day she wanted but late the next night he crept into the Gryffindor seventh year dorm's and woke Ron. Ron said nothing as Harry handed him a packed knapsack.

"Come on, we're going to Egypt," Harry whispered. "Ginny and Neville will get Hermione's body and move it where the Ministry can't dispose of it."

A/N - Sorry this one was so short but it didn't fit in with the last or the next. Just the epilogue now.