A/N. Oh yes, wait no, I still don't own any of the cannon characters. Rats! The income would be nice but oh well. Thanks for reading!

Aftermath…

Harry woke up, hurting like hell, with a Crup licking his face. At least he hoped it was Tango. It was still night but the moon was setting in the west behind the mountains. Harry slowly looked around at the faces standing and crouching in his line of sight.

"Did we win?" he asked with a rough voice.

Sirius beamed at him. "Yes we did. We handed out a rare as…"

"Sirius! Language!" Amelia Bones stopped him cold. Harry smiled weakly at Sirius's face.

Harry made to sit up, which was hard with a Crup going crazy because his wizard was awake. Many rushed to help him reach the upright position. Harry had to reassure the small dog climbing his chest, wiping the gore from the tiny face. Charles nodded to the group; many went to help with the mopping up. Severus and Sirius rushed to help an Auror with one of Voldemort's combatants that had far too much energy left.

Harry looked up, his vision almost too blurry to clearly see beyond the group still standing around him. There were faces missing. Panic gripped Harry's heart.

"Where's Hermione?"

Charles slowly sat down beside his nephew. "She is going to be fine. She just got caught by a flame curse. Dobby took her to the Hospital wing, which is were you are going as soon as we get an elf over here. Whoa!"

Harry was struggling to get his feet under him so that he could stand. His head swam with the pounding headache he had. "I've got to go to her!"

If Ed hadn't grabbed him by the shoulders, Harry would have fallen right back down. He was not in the best shape but the thought of Hermione in the Hospital wing was a fire that was giving him the only strength he had left. He did not drop Tango though. He clutched Hermione's gift to his chest, in his fuzzy mind, thinking that by doing so, it would make sure she would be all right.

"Harry, stop!"

"No, somebody hold him!"

"Harry you can't walk back to the castle!"

His friends were trying to help him or stop him from hurting himself, but he was ignoring the lot of them.

"Potter! Freeze!" came the voice of Severus Snape from where he and Sirius were grappling with the Death Eater who had overpowered the Auror. Harry froze. Even in his haze of pain and worry, Severus Snape was not someone you ignored.

"Star!" Charles called and the little elf popped in beside him. "Take Harry to the castle before he drops."

Star wrapped her arms around Harry's legs and popped him to the Hospital wing. They appeared beside Hermione's bed. Star knew that is where Harry wanted to be. Star sat Harry down on the chair beside the unconscious girl and went to get a healer for her boy. In the chaos that was the Hospital wing today, nobody noticed him sitting there.

Hermione's chocolate eyes were shut and what was left of her wild hair was scorched almost black. Her face was red and blistered in streaks running along her right side on all exposed skin. She had black circles under her eyes and a cut above one eye that was still red from being healed. Her right hand all the way up her arm was bandaged and Harry could smell the burn ointment that was under them as well as on all of the visible skin. He was afraid to touch her but he had to make sure that she was alive.

"Love? 'Moine?" Harry gently laid his hand on her left one. She didn't stir. Tango whined softly.

"Hermione please wake up! Please, I can't live without you!"

Harry Potter, destroyer of the most dangerous Dark Wizard in centuries, had tears streaming down his face, leaving trails in the soot from battle covering his skin. He dropped his face into the palm of her hand he was clutching. Then he sobbed his heart out.

"Harry?" a horse whisper asked.

Harry sat bolt upright. The sudden change in position almost made him pass out; his head was reaching a new crescendo with the throbbing pain. Hermione was looking at him; her eyes were open, just barely. She was fighting the pain potion that should have kept her knocked out. However, Harry had called her and she had never failed to answer him before.

Their eyes met and Hermione slowly reached up to trail a finger down his cheek. "I'll be alright love. I just didn't duck fast enough." Her voice was barely audible even though the ward was strangely quiet with the coming and going of patients with the healers.

"Did we win?"

"Yes, Voldemort is dead. Nothing left of him but a husk." Harry continued to look into her chocolate eyes. "Go back to sleep now love. I am not going anywhere. It is my turn to stand watch."

Hermione gave a weak chuckle. "You aren't anywhere near even yet. I must look a fright," she said softly, knowing that her hair was almost completely gone.

"You are beautiful." Harry said simply.

She closed her eyes and returned to oblivion with a smile. Harry was safe, she could rest easy now.

The healers in the Hospital wing were working with getting patients settled in beds. As the wounded were triaged in the great hall, they were either treated and released, forwarded to St. Mungo's for the most serious cases or treated and shuttled up to the hospital wing for a bed if they needed one. As the flood of patients slowed to a trickle, then stopped, as there was no more room left in the ward, no one noticed Harry sitting beside Hermione's bed in the corner, quietly holding her hand, trying not to throw up from his pounding headache.

Star popped back in furious. None of the healers she had been able to even get to talk to her, would listen to what she was asking. Her boy needed help and they were too busy to bother with the elf.

"Master Harry," she said as softly as she could, knowing how bad his head was hurting. "I has to help you myself. The wizard healers is too busy."

With a snap of her fingers, a bed scooted over to Harry and he gratefully laid down on it facing Hermione, never releasing her hand. "Close you eyes, I will help the pain Master Harry."

Harry slowly shut his eyes and Star began to stroke his forehead softly. Letting her magic heal the raw neural pathways that had called forth so much power during the battle saving them all. Harry relaxed into sleep, never releasing Hermione' hand.

On the Battlefield…

When Star popped out with Harry, Charles hung his head between his knees. Ed sat down beside him, careful not to bump his own broken ribs.

"Yoh nah, I am getting told old for this shit." Ed said in a gravelly voice.

"Me too Wah yaw."

Charles lifted his head and looked out over the destruction spread along the quiet loch. He watched the Aurors doing what all law enforcement does after a disaster, pick up the pieces, try to figure out what happen and catch the bad guys. Well most of those were caught already.

"Do we know how many we lost yet?"

Charles feared this more than the battle. He always hated losing any of his young soldiers, this time especially because they were so damned young.

Neville came striding up, his sword dripping with gore in one hand and his wand in the other, but in one piece. He was standing as tall as Charles or anyone else had ever seen him do so before.

"Sir," he said as he came to attention in front of Charles.

The Ay gah he ah yaw sss tee gea (Light Warrior) had picked up the military way of doing things, clear concise reporting was one of those habits that Charles was extremely glad of today.

"Report Mr. Longbottom," Charles said formally, fearing the worst.

"Sir, we have cleared up the last of the acromantulas that aided Voldemort," Neville didn't stutter over the Dark Lord's name. He had stopped that habit before Christmas.

"The Goblins have taken care of the mercenaries that survived the battle; they broke Goblin law when they contracted with the Death Eaters for Goblin Treasure. Madame Bones is letting them handle it. Sucks to be them," Neville finally smiled at this.

"Continue," Charles said sitting a bit straighter. If Neville could smile, even grimly, maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought.

"Sir, no marked Death Eater here survived Voldemort's death. Professor Stormchaser was right; the bastard sucked the magic and life out of them through the dark mark. That was how he was able to battle for so long and so hard. His body has however fallen apart. The Unspeakable I heard reporting said that his magical core was all that was holding it together. Now that he is dead, it is returning to an inert mass of goo. That was the exact technical term he used sir."

"Neville, you got an Unspeakable to talk to you?" Amelia asked as she limped back up to the group.

"No Madame Bones, I was eavesdropping. He didn't notice the owl in the tree." Neville continued in his report to Charles.

Amelia raised her brow at this. Another animagus in this group, just how many were there? There had only been seven registered in this century! Getting them all registered was added to her mental to do list. Or maybe not, they would make an awesome counter insurgent team when they were older. Hell, they already were.

"The Aurors have six confirmed dead of their number, there are about twenty in all on our side. Professor Dumbledore and Stormchaser have been taken to St. Mungo's," Neville stepped back surprised as Charles jumped to his feet.

"They are alive?" He and Ed asked at the same time. They had thought the two old men were dead.

"Yes sir, in fact Professor Dumbledore demanded to be allowed to stay here at the school, but Madame Bones pulled rank on him. He lost an arm sir, but it didn't seem to bother him. He was hit by a curse from Voldemort just before Harry started battling the git. Ginny realized that the only way to save him was to remove the arm before it spread to the rest of his body. We really didn't have time to find a healer. He gave her 500 points to Gryffindor."

"And Professor Stormchaser?" Ed asked, not breathing.

"He was knocked out during the fight with Voldemort, so while Ginny was helping Professor Dumbledore, I got him out of the way of the battle. Then Blaise and I guarded all of them. He woke up before they took him, but he was very weak sir." Neville looked around.

"Where's Harry?" Neville for the first time started to panic.

"He is up at the castle. He needed a healer. He is exhausted from the battle with a pounding headache and was worried about Hermione. She was wounded but Madame Pomfrey thinks she will mend quick enough. She was caught in the blast from one of the flamethrowers going up when an Auror mishandled it. The idiot tried to curse it away with a fire curse. It didn't mix too well. We will join them shortly. How are the others?" Charles was still steeling himself for the bad news.

"All present and accounted for sir," Neville said with almost a snap as he straighten.

"What?"

"All present and accounted for sir. We didn't lose anyone of our group. Hermione seems to be injured the worst. A few broken bones here and there, some burns, nothing that required St. Mungo's. Only Professor Dumbledore and Stormchaser of our Light Warriors were that bad. Ron's family lost Percy though. He showed up in the middle of the battle, poor fellow had never been trained for this. At least in the end he got his priorities straight. Charlie and Bill made it through all right though. And of course the Twins are just fine."

Neville hated that the middle Weasley brother had died, but he had not known him that well. He was upset because Ginny was upset.

"Sir, if that is all, I would like to return to Ginny. Her family is over there and she needs me right now." Neville gestured with his sword towards a group with flaming red hair holding one another. He could see Ron being comforted by Luna.

"Mr. Longbottom, thank you for that report. You are dismissed." Charles almost passed out with relief. The powers that be were truly watching over his young people today. Charles was reminded once again of just how powerful all of the young people had become. So many had come so far from the beginning of the year.

Severus strode up with Sirius from helping the Aurors to move out the last of the prisoners that had proven to have a bit of fight left. Snape looked around.

"Where's Harry?"

"I sent him up to the castle. He was exhausted and said he had a headache. Never mind, he needed to see for himself that Hermione was still alive. Why?" Charles asked.

"He said he had a headache?" Severus smacked his forehead, "Son of a bitch!"

Charles and Sirius looked at one another. Neither had ever seen the potions master react that way, never in the years that Sirius had known him.

"Yes, you could tell that the noise was killing him. Why Severus?" Charles looked sharply at the man.

"When you battle in the mindscape like he did, the mind's pathways take a beating. The harder the battle, the more power you pull from your magical core. Harry was pulling from not only his core, but all of yours too. I should have given him something immediately." Snape turned to hurry to the castle.

"Severus you can't think of everything. I think we need to check on him though. Star hasn't returned yet. Maybe he is worse that I thought." Charles, along with Sirius, and Ed hurried to the castle trailing behind Severus Snape because of the older wizards' injuries.

They moved quickly through the double entry doors and along the entrance hall. The doors into the Great Hall were propped back with benches that had walking wounded sitting on them. Healers were hurrying from stretcher to stretcher checking their patients; calling for assistance or potions, the hearth was glowing with the flames of the Floo network that was working overtime. Total bedlam.

"There's Madam Pomfrey," Sirius pointed out the Matron and the group hurried over to her as she finished with the bandage she was wrapping around Oliver Wood's leg. He smiled at the relief from the pain. Professor McGonagall changed her course to meet them at the Mediwitch.

They all asked at the same time "How's Harry?"

They looked at one another with surprise evident on each face.

"Poppy," Severus hurried to ask, "Have you seen Harry?"

"No Severus," she looked at the entire group, "should I have?"

"Yes, we sent him up here quite a while back. Our house elf brought him I thought to you." Charles started looking at each face lying around him in the make shift hospital.

One of the healers from St. Mungo's stepped up, "There was a strangely dress elf a bit ago, wanting some one to help her master. I am afraid we brushed her off since she wasn't with anyone. I am terribly sorry..Ugk!"

The man was in a strangle hold by Sirius Black quicker than any of the group realized what he was doing.

"Where is my Godson? Where?" Sirius snarled in the man's face, which was turning purple quickly.

"Sirius, he doesn't know. Wait… turn him loose damn it!" Ed wrenched Sirius' hands from around the healer's neck.

"Where is Miss Granger?" Severus asked Madame Pomfrey. Charles nodded.

"She is in the Hospital wing." Pomfrey was speaking to nobody because the group left the Great Hall at a run; it was a slow run but a run nonetheless.

When they arrived at the hospital wing, a healer stepped to question them but one look at their faces stopped him where he stood.

"Have you seen Harry Potter?" Charles asked the man.

"No, we haven't. I just got here and have not started my rounds yet. He may be here some where." The man gestured with his wand at the crowded hospital wing.

Charles spotted Star's bat ears since she was standing on a stool on the far side of two beds by themselves in the corner and hurried over to her. She was exhausted, her hand still slowly stroking Harry's forehead, muttering.

"Star," Charles said softly, "is he ok?"

Star stopped and looked up at Charles bleary eyed. "Master Charles?"

"Yes, we'll take over now. You rest," Charles gently lifted the exhausted elf and laid her on the foot of Harry's bed. She immediately fell asleep curled up in a ball. It had taken most of her energy to heal Harry after all the rescue work she had been doing during the battle with Dobby.

"Harry," Charles laid his hand on the young man's shoulder and gently tugged. When he did this is almost pulled Harry's hand away from Hermione's. Harry's eye shot open and he began struggling.

"Harry, shhhh!" Charles released his shoulder. "It's alright. We are not going to make you move. We just couldn't find you. I thought I had lost you boy." Charles collapsed on to the stool that Star had been standing on, shaking uncontrollable, his strength finally gone.

Aurora Sinstra came hurrying into the ward, spotted Charles and hurried over. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he leaned into her.

"Uncle Charles? Sirius? Are you alright?" Harry slowly sat up, never releasing Hermione's hand.

"We sure are Pup! You kicked major ass out there," Sirius cringed, for a moment forgetting that Amelia was on the grounds directing the Ministry workers.

Harry's shoulders hunched forward and he asked, "Who did we lose?" in a quiet voice.

"Twenty from our side, all of the marked Death Eaters and the Goblins have the mercenaries. But none of YOUR warriors. Bill said the Goblins were ticked off about the Goblin Treasure the idiots had accepted in payment for fighting." Sirius said bracingly.

"I saw Grandfather and the Headmaster fall in Voldemort's mind. They are dead aren't they?" Harry was trying to be ready for the blow, knowing that he would never be really ready for that one.

"No they are not," Severus said sharply, "both of them are far too meddlesome to have left so much undone. However, Dumbledore has Miss Weasley's quick thinking to be thankful for. She saved his life. Professor Stormchaser left here alive. I will go and see if I can get some information on them." Severus squeezed Harry's shoulder as the boy finally relaxed and turned to stride out the doors, robes billowing behind him.

"How the hell does he get his robes to do that?" Charles wondered aloud. He was very comfortable leaning against Aurora. She was easing his pains as she rubbed his shoulders.

"Have no idea," said Sirius. "He has been able to do it since our seventh year of school. It used to make James crazy, trying to figure out how because it is so imposing." Sirius smiled down at Harry.

"How's your head now?" Charles asked searching Harry's face.

"Better, it is down to a dull roar. Just a regular headache now." Harry realized that he wasn't just doing the usual 'I am fine' routine either. He really did feel so much better.

"Did any of the Healers say how Hermione really is?" Harry looked at her sleeping on the bed.

"Since she is not going to St. Mungo's, she is really going to get better. They have her out because burns hurt. They want her to rest while she is healing. Which is what you need to do." Sirius found a blanket to cover Star with and helped Harry to lie back down.

"Charles, you go find somewhere to crash unless you need a Healer." Sirius was in full boss dog mode now. Charles shook his head at the thought of a Healer.

"I'll take care of him, come on Professor," Aurora helped Charles to stand and winked at Ed.

"Don't worry Charles, Amelia is going to be very busy for a long time tonight or I should I say this morning so I will stay with Harry." Sirius shooed the two out of the corner.

Alice Longbottom came into the ward at almost a dead run. She saw Ed and hurried over.

"Are you alright?" She asked checking him over herself.

"I'm fine, just beat up and wore out." Ed smiled down at her.

"Frank came by a bit ago. After he spoke with Nev, he said his work was done. It was time to move on. I am thinking that he is right about that." She grinned up at Ed, "He said that you were alright for a yank!"

"A yank? Oh lord, woman I ain't a yank! Them is fightin' words where I come from," Ed wrapped his good arm around her and the two of them left the ward too.

Harry curled on his side, facing Hermione and fell asleep watching her breath. Sirius along with little Tango stood watch over them. Sirius sat quietly stroking the little Crup between the ears, thanking all of the Powers that Be for seeing most of his friends and family through this latest battle.

After Dawn, Hogwarts…

Hagrid had posted Grawp at the castle gates to keep the reporters back. Some of them had actually tried to come through the Floo into the school, others tried to burst open the gates and two had climb over the wall to only be thrown back over by Hagrid, even before the wards stopped them. Bill's new wards even zapped a certain beetle that tried to fly in over the wall further down from the gates. Rita would have a headache for days.

Amelia Bones had released a statement to them shortly after the battle but would not give a press conference or an interview to anyone outside of the school grounds. She had work to do and unlike Fudge she believed in doing it herself. Therefore, the press was in a feeding frenzy from the lack of information coming from the battleground. St. Mungo's was in a press lock down too!

Only one reporter was on the grounds and she had sent her report into the Quibbler very soon after the battle with the full approval of the Minster of Magic and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. For once, the Quibbler would be ahead on the story!

The Aurors were finishing the mop up operations when a zealous Dawlish spotted Severus Snape striding to the gates.

"You! Death Eater! Stop!" the Auror hurried to intercept the Potions Master.

Snape calmly waited for him, his arms crossed on his chest with a long index finger tapping his upper arm.

"How can I help you Auror Dawlish?" Snape asked in his coldest voice.

"You are a Death Eater! You just can't leave!" Dawlish made to grab Snape's arm when a deadly calm voice stopped the Auror.

"Just what in the bloody Hell do you think you are doing Dawlish?" Remus Lupin had come up beside the two men without either realizing he was there.

"This man is a Death Eater; they all have to be put in custody. Madame Umbridge told me he was a marked one last fall." Dawlish was frightened for the first time of the sandy haired man before him.

"You idiot, all the marked Death Eaters are dead! Do you think that this man is a corpse? Well?" Lupin confidently pushed into Dawlish's personal space, making him take a few steps back. Severus was in shock to have Lupin come to his defense but you would have never known it by looking at him.

"Remus, we can put the Auror's mind at ease," Snape said as he shook back the sleeves on both arms to show unblemished skin in the morning's early light. "There, Madame Umbridge must have been mistaken. Now I have been given the duty to go to St. Mungo's to check on our staff that is there, so if there is nothing else I can help you with, Good Day."

Nobody can dismiss you as completely as Severus Snape can. He stepped around the Auror and continued out of the gates, pushing through the crowd of reporters, ignoring them as he disapparated quickly.

Dawlish backed from Lupin a bit further.

"Don't worry; I won't bite you, today anyway." Remus smiled, his white teeth flashing in the sunlight and turned to make his way back up to the school to find Sirius and check on Harry.

Dawlish watched the tall man walk confidently up the drive. He had known Remus Lupin since they were in school together. He had never seen him stand as tall or with as much pride as the man seemed to process today, especially since James Potter's death all those years ago. Dawlish of course didn't know that he had just had a run in with the pack leader of the werewolves of all Britain, though he did feel like he had just had a close call of some kind.

St. Mungo's, London…

Snape apparated into the lobby of St. Mungo's, precisely in the middle of the Apparation area. He almost crushed an older woman who was wondering around looking for her husband. If Hogwart's Great Hall had been organized chaos, this was not that. It was total bedlam, no organization at all. The Mediwitch at the reception desk was very overwhelmed with the mass of people trying to find out about their loved ones, even if they hadn't been at the school.

Snape surveyed this and came to a decision. With a wave of his wand, the entire crowded was forced into silence. They all turned to look at him.

"Now that I have your attention, you all are old enough to know how to queue up and wait your turn, so get to it," this was said in his deadliest voice.

Since most of them who had attended Hogwarts in the last few decades knew who he was, they obeyed in fear, afraid that the Death Eaters had won at Hogwarts. With a wave, the crowd was allowed to speak again, but they did line up while they were muttering, giving the receptionist a chance to get her information and lists straight.

Snape glared at the beginning of the group and they stepped back to allow room around the desk as he stepped to the receptionist.

"I have been sent by Deputy Headmistress McGonagall to ascertain the status of several of our staff. Is there someone I can speak with?"

Snape asked this politely, for him that is and the receptionist referred him down the hall to the emergency wards, eager to get this scary wizard out of her waiting room, even if he had slowed the crowd down. Severus thanked her and strode down the hall, with his robes billowing behind him. The waiting room crowd gave a collective shudder. That was one scary wizard and they hoped to goodness that Dumbledore had been right about him.

Snape looked into several wards before finding the one that contained wounded from Hogwarts. He stopped a healer and asked where Dumbledore was. He was directed to a curtained off corner of the ward.

Stepping around the partition, he found two beds. With Dumbledore and Joshua Stormchaser in them, side by side, just as the two old wizards had fought Voldemort. Dumbledore was having a discussion with the healer; Joshua was watching out of tired, pain-filled eyes.

"Now, Justin, I should know whether or not I am able to return to Hogwarts. There are things that I need to be doing right now and one of them is not sitting in St. Mungo's," Albus was talking with the healer, all the while trying to get his feet out of the bed and into his shoes.

"You know you are going to have to bind him to the bed. Don't try to reason with him, he thinks he knows everything."

Snape spoke with a roughness in his voice. He would not show emotion at the fact that Dumbledore was going to be all right.

"Headmaster, they need to make sure that Miss Weasley got all the cursed tissue. Let the man do his job."

"Severus! I am so glad you came," Dumbledore thought that he had an ally but he was mistaken as Snape flicked his wand at the bed. The covers would not allow Dumbledore to move his lower body at all now.

"Now my boy that is not necessary…"

"Oh yes it is. Now stay put and let the man do his job!"

Snape turned to Professor Stormchaser as the healer began his scan of Dumbldeor's shoulder. The old Headmaster watched his Potions Master with the twinkle back in his blue eyes as the dark man bent to the American.

"Sir, I have been tasked by the rabble that you left at the school with finding out exactly how you are."

"Did we win?" Joshua's voice was far weaker than Severus had ever heard it, even after battling Voldemort at the clearing earlier in the school year.

"Yes, Grandfather," Severus sat beside the old man, using the term the children used for him, "we won! Harry was magnificent. He battled the Dark Lord and then used the block just as you taught him! It worked, exactly as you said it would. All of your Light Warriors made it through the battle too! None of them was injured bad enough to be sent here. Though Miss Granger is the injured the worst. An Auror tried to remove one of the muggle flamethrowers with magic. It was not a good idea. If she had not blocked the flames so forcefully, many of our combatants would have been injured if not killed. You have trained them well sir. I left Sirius guarding Harry and Hermione in the hospital wing. Charles has Aurora looking after his wounds, Alice Longbottom removed Ed from the Hospital ward and since the both of them were laughing, I do believe he is going to be alright too."

Joshua relaxed and closed his eyes. Severus almost panicked, thinking the old wizard was leaving them now that he knew his kin had survived but let out his breath when the dark eyes opened back up slowly.

"So Voldemort is finished. What happened to his body?" Albus asked quietly.

"It reverted to a mass of inert goo. There was nothing left to hold it together, so it returned to whatever it was that Pettigrew used to make it last summer. Now the both of you need to rest, we have it all under control. Our Minister of Magic, Madame Bones is a forceful leader and is taking care of everything. Between her and Professor McGonagall, there should be nothing left for you, Albus, to worry about. I must return to convey the news that both of you are resting and are obeying your healers. Please don't make me turn back into a liar at this late stage." Snape pinned Dumbledore with a baleful stare. "Especially you Head Master, behave yourself."

Joshua chuckled and smiled at the man before him.

"Return Ooh Lay say gee ah yaw sss tee gee (Dark Warrior), one of Charles' young men will stay with us. Hello Tim."

A young man came around the end of the curtain with a stool in his hand. He nodded at Snape and took up a guard position between the two beds.

"Remember behave yourselves," Snape turned as the young man said, "Yeah right, like that is going to happen."

Severus smiled as he left the ward.