Last official chapter. Next week will be the epilogue. Enjoy!
The next time Harry opened his eyes, he was inside the Great Hall, which had been turned into a makeshift infirmary. He was off to the side, surrounded by injured shinobi. Kakashi was sitting next to him, reading the book he always kept in his kunai pouch.
"You're awake," the shinobi commented, eye not leaving the page he was reading.
"And you're not really reading that," Harry said. "Now that we're done stating the obvious…"
The small smirk that appeared on Kakashi's lips was hidden behind his mask.
"How long has it been?" Harry asked.
"A few hours," Kakashi replied. "Long enough for your cuts, bruises, and scars to heal."
"By whom?" Harry asked, curious as to who had tended him. Kakashi jerked his head in Sakura's direction. The kunoichi was scolding Naruto, probably for doing something stupid.
"She had less to tend to," Kakashi explained. "And she moves faster than the others."
Harry nodded in understanding. Then something Kakashi had said made him curious.
"Scars?" Harry asked. Kakashi nodded but offered no more information. Instead, he passed over a small hand mirror.
"It's Sakura's," Kakashi explained. "She figured that you would want to see for yourself."
Harry's eyes narrowed in confusion but he held up the mirror and looked at his face.
Someone had wiped down his face, so it was free of dirt. His glasses still were too round for his face but they were undamaged. His hair was caked with dirt and his bangs were clinging to his forehead, only parted enough to reveal his pale, almost unnoticeable scar.
Oh. So that's what Kakashi meant by scars having healed. The lightning bolt scar on his forehead was no longer irritated and red, as it had been since he had been a child. Instead, it had paled. Now that it was only a few shades lighter than his skin.
"I finally got what I wished for," Harry muttered, remembering all the times he had wished that his scar wasn't so noticeable. "What else has happened?"
Kakashi put away his book.
"Not too much," he said. "An interim Minister has been chosen. Someone named Shacklebolt." The shinobi stuttered over the name. Harry had to fight to keep the grin off his face. "Already he's approached us in regards to a diplomatic mission. That's the only real thing of significance that's happened. They've started tallying up the bodies."
Harry cringed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to read the names on the list. He didn't want to know which of his friends that he had lost. To direct his thoughts away from the body count, he focused on the other part of Kakashi's answer.
"Diplomatic mission?" he asked. The gray-haired shinobi nodded.
"To keep contact between our two worlds," he murmured. "We've interacted too much recently for there not to be diplomacy. It'll be worked out in the next few weeks most likely."
Harry nodded, mind racing. He was already making plans for the future, even though he knew that it wouldn't be what others expected.
"It'll be a shock for our worlds to get used to another's presence," he said quietly. "Especially because they're so different."
Kakashi was silent for a moment before speaking.
"You know, our two worlds aren't that different," the shinobi said slowly.
"Oh?" Harry asked. Kakashi nodded.
"Both worlds have raised children destined to be soldiers."
Harry frowned thoughtfully.
"Well, if that's the case, then I can spot one major difference."
"Oh?" Kakashi echoed.
"Your children know they're being raised to be soldiers," Harry explained. "Ours were oblivious to that fact."
Kakashi didn't reply.
The weeks after the final battle passed in a blur for Harry, even though he didn't really have anything to do. For the most part, he stuck close to Kakashi as negotiations started between Konoha and the wizarding world. It would be a long-term diplomatic mission for Konoha. Two shinobi of jounin level would be stationed in the wizarding world and a few would take short-term missions to assist their comrades and to travel back and forth between the two worlds. After a lengthy discussion, Kakashi volunteered to be one of the shinobi that would travel back and forth.
Harry hadn't voiced anything yet to the Minister of Magic or any of his friends, but he would be sticking with Kakashi most likely. They could split their time between the two worlds. Harry wasn't quite sure what he would do but he knew what he didn't want to do. He didn't want to become an Auror. He was sick of fighting.
The wizarding world would also send a wizard or witch to Konoha to maintain diplomacy. Already they were narrowing down the field of candidates. Harry had used his influence as the Boy-Who-Lived and the Man-Who-Defeated-Voldemort to name a candidate—Draco Malfoy.
His reasons for supporting Draco as a candidate were obvious but he had still managed to surprise the blond wizard. Harry knew that the blond would face discrimination in the wizarding world because of his father's past actions. Living in Konoha would take him away from that discrimination and would allow the blond a chance to live a new life, much like Harry had. Draco had also been exposed to some of Konoha's culture through Yūgao. Of all the candidates, he would have the best chance of understanding both worlds.
A week after the final battle, a list of the deceased for both sides had been published in the Daily Prophet. It was shorter than Harry had expected, but that wasn't a bad thing. Excluded from the list were the four shinobi that had fallen. Instead, their names would be inscribed on the Memorial Stone in Konoha.
A similar Memorial Stone was placed in the small area between the Black Lake and the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry had brought up the idea to Professor McGonagall, Hogwarts' new headmistress, and she had agreed. The names of the students and Order members that had died fighting would be written upon the stone. The stone had been pulled from the rubble of Hogwarts castle when they had been unable to find where it belonged.
Harry stood in front of the stone, memorizing the names that had been engraved into it, especially the four that had been engraved at the top. The four at the top hadn't died in the final battle but their sacrifices were what had led to Harry finishing off Voldemort for good.
"Thank you for your sacrifices," he said quietly. "I know your families will miss you. I'll miss you. I'll do my best to make sure that you aren't forgotten."
As Harry stepped away from the Memorial Stone, he read the top four names one last time.
Albus Dumbledore. Sirius Black. James Potter. Lily Potter.
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