Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

Original A/N: So this story isn't finished, there are at least a handful of chapters that I'm thinking about doing. There's not going to be much in the way of action as I'm not going to write about the Death Eaters or a new powerful Dark Wizard coming up to cause trouble. However, there are few loose ends I want to tie up before I finish this story. That being said I think I'm going to update every other week from now on Mondays from now on.

Thanks to MaeSilverpaws1, who is beta-ing this story.

Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One

After the Battle

Following the fierce battle everyone headed back to Hogwarts as it seemed like the logical safest places to head. Walking through the town of Hogsmeade bought home the knowledge that a battle had happened as all the buildings were reduced to rubble and there was the occasional unconscious (or dead) body. Harry couldn't help but wonder how many people had died.

He couldn't believe that he was actually alive though. It was over, Voldemort was gone, and he had survived. Somehow, even before Dumbledore told him about being a Horcrux, he never really thought he would survive. He felt numb as he realized that he was going to have a future, a life. Now he really hoped he didn't fail all his O.W.L's as that really would suck.

"What's got the concurring hero looking all doom and gloom," Fred said bringing Harry out of his thought by wrapping his arm around Harry's shoulder.

"I'm not the hero," Harry said.

"Sure, sure, and I don't turn into a crow," Fred said.

"I wasn't the one that defeated him," Harry pointed out; he wasn't looking forward to having more fame than he already did.

"Whatever you say Harry," George said from Harry's other side. "I'm just glad that you popped up when you did, I was just about to be clobbered by one of the statues."

"Just remember Harrykins," Fred said, "you'll always be our hero."

Harry rolled his eyes as the twins mocked simpered at him. "Actually Fred, you're the one that saved Sirius's life today. You're the hero."

"I think our baby brother played a bigger part in that," Fred said. "But I was pretty awesome, wasn't I."

"Yeah, you were," Harry said.

"Oh, I think you made him blush Harry," George said now teasing his twin.

"Oh shut it," Fred said.

"Look, there's Lee and Angie," George said. "We better go see them."

"See you guys," Harry said, not really wanting to go with them as there was a crowd of people in that direction.

Harry didn't get his wish though; people came to talk to him no matter where he was. Some of them were his friend. Ginny, Luna, Dean and Seamus had stopped by to congratulate him. He was a little disappointed that Ginny left after only a few seconds and he got the impression that she wasn't so pleased with him. After a while they had been pushed aside and other people took their place. Some of them were his friends, or at least members of the DA, others were students he barely knew.

He was feeling rather exhausted when the next person called his name.

"Huh?" Harry grunted, but when he turned around he actually smiled as he was looking at his best friend.

"I've been trying to find you for the last five hours," Ron said.

"You couldn't have been looking very hard as I have been sitting here all that time," Harry said.

"Okay, maybe I've been trying to get here the last hour," Ron admitted. "Do you realize that there was a line forming to talk to you?"

"Argh," Harry groaned.

"Yeah, so I talked to the others first and then made my way through the line." Ron said.

"Well you better hurry up and say whatever you've got to say, I'm sure the next person in line is dying to talk to me," Harry said dryly.

"It's weird being back here so soon," Ron said. "It's hard to believe that this is the same place we had breakfast this morning."

"Hmm," Harry nodded in agreement, so much seemed to have changed in such a short time.

"Did I mention how glad I was that you told me all that 'I'm going to die' crap, only for it not to happen?"

"Sorry mate, next time I'll just die," Harry said, a little surprised by the question but trying to be humorous.

"You know that's not what I meant," Ron said. "You know how hard it was … do you have any idea how hard it was to let you walk away? I wanted to go with you, to fight back somehow, but I knew that I couldn't."

"I'm sorry mate," Harry sighed, he really hated that he put that extra weight on Ron, and then on Hermione, but he never would have gotten through the last few months of school without their help.

"Don't worry about it," Ron shrugged. "Right now nothing could bother me. My family's safe, you're alive … Hermione is too. I never thought things would end like this."

"Excuse me," someone said from behind Ron and the boys turned to see that it was Susan. "I was just wondering if I could have a word with you Harry," she went on to say when she got their attention.

Ron shrugged, it seemed like he really did have only a short time to talk with his friend … for right now that is. But in the future, that now existed; they would have plenty of time.

"What's up?" Harry asked cheerfully only to get slapped across the face. "What the hell?!"

"You knew!" Susan said tearfully. "That was the secret you wouldn't tell me. You knew you were going to die."

Harry rubbed his check, but admitted with a sigh, "I thought I would."

"If we were still dating you still would have walked … done that …" Susan said finding it hard to talk.

"Yes," Harry answered sadly.

Susan sat down next to him. "I knew you would say that."

"Yeah well, I'm glad I'm so predictable," Harry sighed. "Did you really have to slap me?"

"Well, I was angry with you," Susan said. "But, I am glad that you're alive."

"Thanks," Harry said smiling at her.

"I don't think I'm ever going to be able to forgive you," Susan said.

"So I take it there's no possible way that we'll get back together," Harry said and she raised an incredulously eyebrow at him. "I didn't think so."

"I'll probably always like you Harry, but I'm not sure I could trust you after all this," Susan said. "You should probably work on that in the future."

"Yeah, though hopefully I won't have any more deadly secrets," Harry said. "I am really looking forward to a secret free life from now on. A normal life."

"Those are two different things you know," Susan said and upon seeing Harry's confused look she added. "Everyone has secrets. Obviously not your secrets but we all have secrets. I never told you that I wanted to open an apothecary shop when I'm out of Hogwarts."

"Really … apothecary?" Harry said, not seeing that coming.

"I never really told that to anyone before," Susan said. "I wanted to tell you, but you always seemed to get anxious whenever the future was mentioned. I know why now."

"I did hate how everyone would talk about their career options while we were studying for the O.W.L's," Harry noted. "It made me think about the fact that I didn't have any options. I didn't mean to make you feel like you couldn't talk about it either."

"It's okay," Susan said. "I don't even know what I'm trying to say anymore."

"I thought you were trying to tell me to still be secretive," Harry said.

"That is the last thing I was trying to say!" Susan glared at him.

"Okay, maybe you're telling me not to keep life and death secrets," Harry said.

"Like I said, I don't know what I'm saying anymore," Susan shrugged. "The truth is, I'm not sure how I would have reacted if you told me the truth. That would have been a lot to deal with. But I do know I never would have gotten over it if you had really died, even though you were no longer my boyfriend."

"Sorry," Harry bowed his head once again.

They sat there in silence for a few more moments before Susan left him alone. Harry was thinking about his relationship when he looked up to see Dumbledore talking to some of the other Professors. Just looking at his headmaster made Harry angry. Dumbledore had told him he was going to die, but the look in the old man's eyes made him wonder if Dumbledore might have known that there was a possibility that he'd live. He jumped off the bench he was sitting on and walked over to the head table.

"Dumbledore if …" McGonagall was saying but stopped as she noticed Harry. She smiled at him, an honest to goodness smile that he had only seen when he had preformed a rather difficult spell in the past. "I'll give you a moment," she said after looking between the two; Dumbledore nodded.

"I have been expecting you," Dumbledore said gravely, looking old … or more like looking his age.

"Did you know that I would live? Did you tell me that I was going to die … all the while knowing that I would live?" Harry asked and Dumbledore flinched at the question and Harry's hostile tone.

"I knew it was possibility," Dumbledore sighed. "I could not have been sure until …"

"Until I was cursed!" Harry hissed, trying not to talk too loudly, maybe they should have gone to somewhere private, but it was too late for that now. "Why didn't you tell me your theory? You couldn't be bothered to tell me that I might live? And don't tell me that you didn't want to get my hopes up!"

"No, I was not afraid of getting your hopes up," Dumbledore said. "I thought it might protect more people if you did not know."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"I thought there was a chance that you would be able to cast a protection similar to the one that your mother gave you, though not quite as powerful as that." Dumbledore explained without meeting his eyes. "That's why I said that Voldemort had to be the one that killed you. I'm sorry, but I believe that it would save lives …"

"So it didn't matter how much I had to suffer, as long as everyone else could be a little bit safer," Harry glared at him, on a better day, he probably would agree with Dumbledore, that it was worth the pain. Especially if somehow that had saved his friends or Remus and Sirius, but right now he didn't care about any of that. All he could think about was all the crap he had to go through, what he knew he put Ron and Hermione through, and Dumbledore could have made that a lot easier with just a few words but he had chosen not to. He had chosen to make Harry's life just a little more difficult …

"I'm sorry, Harry," Dumbledore said softly.

"I don't care," Harry said turning away from Dumbledore only to be faced with Scrimgeour.

"Having a bit of a private conversation," Scrimgeour said, looking at Harry and then Dumbledore.

"That was not a conversation I wanted over heard," Dumbledore waving his wand and from what he said, Harry was sure he was lowering some kind of spell that had prevent others from hearing the conversation that he had with the headmaster. "How can I help you, Scrimgeour?"

Scrimgeour said looking at Harry again and then back at Dumbledore. "Do you have any idea about where Severus Snape is?"

"I have not seen him since last night," Dumbledore answered.

"Are you sure about that?" Scrimgeour asked coldly.

"Severus is not a Death Eater," Dumbledore said calmly, immediately understanding what Scrimgeour was getting at. "He was not here for this battle."

"He has been sighted with the other suspected Death Eaters throughout this year," Scrimgeour said.

"He has been a spy," Dumbledore said. "I believe much of the information that was shared with you was gathered by Severus."

"There were a few Death Eaters that had gotten away," Scrimgeour said briskly. "I have my top teams pursuing them and I'm confident that they well catch the reminding Death Eaters."

"And you think that Severus is one of them," Dumbledore said. "And that I would be shielding him. Believe me; I would like to know where Severus Snape is right now as I fear that something terrible has happened to him."

"I hope you are the one that is right," Scrimgeour said. "As the way I see it, he is the most likely suspect to have orchestrate this attack."

"Professor Snape never would have done that," Harry said to Scrimgeour.

"I was under the impression that all Gryffindors hated Snape," Scrimgeour said. "Why are you defending him?"

"Because I know that he couldn't do this," Harry said. "None of the Hogwarts Professor would have helped Voldemort make an attack like this."

"I see," Scrimgeour said, not looking convinced. "Well, I will be looking for him and any of the remaining Death Eaters that might be out there."

"Very well," Dumbledore said and Scrimgeour walked away. "Thank you Harry …"

"What happened to Snape?" Harry asked warily.

"I do not know. He had sent me a note saying that he was summoned to a meeting late last evening," Dumbledore said, giving Harry more of an explanation than he had Scrimgeour. "I had not been pleased to hear it, but it is not the first time that Severus has been summoned so late, though I realized that whatever the subject, it was vital. Now I'd assume the meeting was either about this attack or to lure Severus to them. I fear that it's more likely the latter as an attack like this takes months to plan and Severus had not heard a whisper of it before now."

"Do you think … he's alive?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," Dumbledore said. "If I'm right then it is hard to believe that he would be, though Voldemort hadn't planned on being defeated and he isn't known for his mercy. He might have believed it would have been more painful if he kept Severus alive … not to mention Severus knows valuable information. There is a chance that he is still alive. I have everyone looking for where he might be."

"But you don't know where he is?" Harry asked pleadingly but Dumbledore just bowed his head. Harry turned away from his headmaster, feeling a lot worse than when he had first got there.