-HARMONY-

(All rights go to J.K.R.) This is how I think it should have ended.

First Fic Alert! Also un-beta'd so sorry in advance for the grammar. I'll finish this myself, but thought I'd test the waters and see how other people like it. It already seems like it will be pretty long :o

Harry Potter and the New Beginning

The Aftermath

2 May 1998

"Harry" Greeted Hagrid as the half-giant embraced him. There was a trickle of blood on his head but he looked well enough.

Harry broke free from Hagrid's all-encompassing hug and lazily grinned up at him, Hagrid beamed down at him, no words needed. Walking on he looked at every group, every pair that had found each other during the battle and every combatant that sat on their own. The image of a hall full of students ready to fight for Hogwarts flashes before his eyes. So many. As he turned his attention back to where his footsteps were taking him Hermione and Ron came into view holding hands. Well that ended as it should have, I suppose. If those giddy smiles are anything to go by, that's how I should be feeling right now. He hoisted a grin on his face with difficulty. "What's this?" He asked, gesturing at their hands.

Hermione, for once in her life remained silent as Ron answered. "Well you know mate, was about time wasn't it? Now this is all over."

Harry kept up the smile on his face and looked past them. For some reason he couldn't meet their eyes. "I suppose it is isn't it?" In the process of looking of the shoulders of the pair Cho caught his eye. Seemingly thinking that Harry was looking at her she started to move towards them. Oh god really? Now? The memory of Ginny, furious at Cho's suggestion for herself to accompany him to Ravenclaw tower flooded back to him.

"Are you ok Harry?" asked Hermione, frowning at him.

"Erm guys I'm going catch up on some sleep, see you round ok?" and he dodged past the two and hurried up the grand staircase.

Only once on the corridor of the Fat Lady did Harry slow down, the last of his energy reserves waning. He cocked his ear as he heard laughing ahead of him. Readying his excuses to yet more students celebrating he instead found to his surprise, the Fat Lady accompanied by her friend Violet. And they seemed to be quite drunk. Can portraits get drunk? 6 years at Hogwarts and I only find out now? He was broken out of his thoughts by Violet as he neared them. "Ooooo, now there's the handsome man we drink too!"

She gave Harry a wink and he blushed crimson. The Fat Lady tittered "Now stop it Vi! He's way young for you!"

Harry tried to interrupt but Violet proclaimed loudly, "Maybe now, but back in my day if would have eaten him up!" Winking at a bewildered Harry.

The Fat Lady took pity upon the him, "No password today my boy, get some sleep."

He mumbled his thanks as the portrait opened and he rushed through it, thinking only of a shower and bed until something he'd seen on his passage through the castle came back to him. They were everywhere, people had just found each other all over the place, Snogging in almost every little niche and alcove of the castle. the sight had made him feel lonely but strangely happy as he trudged up the boys staircase. I suppose if it wasn't for me, it was for them. And that will do.

As he reached the showers he unceremoniously ripped of what was left his clothing and revelled in the stream of hot water hitting his face. My second shower in six months, fuck this is amazing. He made a vow to himself that his house would have a shower for each room of his house but then another thought struck him. House? Where will I live now? For that matter what the hell am I going to do now? Go back for my seventh year? Take a holiday? The idea of a holiday intrigued him, as his only experience of a holiday was being locked in his room, doing homework or doing housework at the Burrow. A holiday where he did nothing but what he wanted to do and relax seemed alien to him.

I'll have to ask Hermione about that at some point. He nodded to himself and finally started to wash himself. Bits of leaves and an surprising amount of mud and blood started to wash down the drain. Once he finished and made to step out of the shower he paused. Wait, I didn't bring any spare clothes, could I just steal some? As much as he was convinced of his own solitude in Gryffindor Tower he would need clothes at some point, and there was no way he was going to redress in the torn and muddy clothes at his feet. With a spark of realisation, he called out, "Dobby!" But as he said it his chest clenched painfully as he remembered where he lay, in a shallow grave on the beach near Shell Cottage after his great sacrifice. The very reason Harry and his friends where able to enjoy this victory over Voldemort and his supporters, some of whom were in that very manor that he escaped from.

He wondered what happened to Kreacher after they had led Yaxley right to the house last year, He hoped again that he was unharmed. At any rate he thought he'd try it. "Kreacher!"

With a crack the old elf appeared in front of him already halfway into a low bow at Harry's feet. "You called master?"

"Sorry to trouble you but can you find me some clean clothes to wear, mine aren't exactly up to the task."

"Of course master." Kreacher replied and disappeared. It was only a minute of waiting around starkers until he returned. Handing fresh clothes to Harry he croaked "Here master, is there anything else I could do?"

Already the elf was grating on him. "Kreacher, could you please not call me master, Just Harry is fine."

The huge Orbs that were the elf's eyes blinked in surprise. "As you wish maste-Harry"

Harry chuckled, then grew sombre as a memory of Kreacher leading the charge of Hogwarts elves flashed in his mind. "Kreacher, I should thank you for what you did in the battle, leading the Hogwarts elves like that made a huge difference."

The little elf beamed up at the Wizard. "It is an honour to serve Harry Potter." And he apparated away with the usual crack. Harry sorted through the pile Kreacher had left him and put on the pair of pyjama bottoms and carried the rest to his four-poster in his dormitory where he dumped them in a heap and crawled into bed. Falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

...

4 May 1998

Harry woke to find an empty dormitory, strange, although, everyone must have gone home to their families. He dressed slowly and haphazardly, then stiffly limped downstairs to find a solitary figure by the fireplace, a figure with bushy hair who seemed to be reading some sort of tome. His heart leapt, Hermione. "What are you doing here?"

The witch in question squeaked and turned so fast she seemed to crick her neck "Harry! How are you feeling?"

He massaged his neck and grimaced, "Er, stiff and sore but I asked first."

"What do you mean what am I doing here? You're here."

But what about Ron? Aren't they a thing now or?

Hermione seemed to read his thoughts as he didn't answer straight away. "Well I thought that they needed some family time after losing-" she paused and her lip trembled.

Harry saw this and swooped down to hug her from behind as she sat on the couch and mumbled, "I know, thanks for staying here at least, even though you wanted to be with Ron." He felt her stiffen against him but she didn't say anything so he just stayed there until her sniffling subsided. He looked up and looked at the pages she was reading, they seemed oddly familiar. "Hermione, what were you reading?

She glanced down at the book and replied "Hogwarts: A History." Harry opened his mouth but she answered his unasked question. "I thought it might help when rebuilding the castle, It wouldn't do to miss anything when casting."

Harry couldn't help but wonder out loud, "How bad is it?"

"Well the Great Hall is in good shape, but nearly all of the Battlements are damaged in one way or another. A lot of the upper Corridors have holes blown in the walls, the bridge to the Owlery is gone but Seamus is responsible for that." she grinned at that one. "It's mostly just missing chunks of whatever was behind a mis-directed blasting hex. Professor McGonnagall thinks it will still take a few weeks to a few months to fix depending on how many people help in the restoration."

Harry pondered on that information for a second and asked her, thoughtful expression on his face, "Are you staying to help?

Hermione bit her lip. "Of course ill do my part, as I have no where to go until I can restore my parents memories. You?"

"This is my home too I suppose, so ill help."

Hermione brightened. "Great! I'm keen to see if the elder wand really is more powerful, rather than just a wand with a myth attached.

His eyes widened in realisation, "Oh yeah, the Elder Wand!" He whirled around and sprinted back up the stairs leaving a giggling Hermione behind, taking the stairs two at a time. After bursting back into his empty dormitory he made to grab the knobbly wand on his bedside table when he caught sight of the moleskin pouch Hagrid gave him. Could it fix my wand? If it's so powerful it should be able to do that. He grabbed the pouch and wand then bounded back down to meet Hermione, skidding to a halt in front of her breathing heavily he held up the wand triumphantly to her. "I've devised a test for the elder wand."

Hermione looked confused. "What on earth do you mean Harry?"

He pulled out the Moleskin Pouch and a curious look took over her features. "If it can repair my wand it can repair the castle. Isn't it impossible to repair a wand that's been snapped in two?"

"Well that's what Ollivander said-"

"That's my point, lets try it." With Hermione silent he opened the pouch, withdrew the halves of the Holly and Phoenix feather Wand and lay it upon the coffee table in front of her. Feeling clearer than he had ever felt in his life, he pointed the Elder Wand at the wand that had saved his life more than once he calmly said "Reparo." Instantly the wand fused together and sparks shot out its end. With Hermione still silent but now her mouth in a perfect O he transferred the Elder to his left and picked up the newly repaired Wand. And just like in Ollivander's shop six years prior, his hair stood on end and he was bathed in a glowing orange light. This feels fucking incredible.

The next thing he knew he was nearly tackled to the floor and his vision became a filled with bushy brown hair as Hermione threw herself at him. And a thought unbidden rose to the surface of his mind. But this feels better.

She drew back from him and started babbling. "This is incredible, you could fix the entire castle faster, you could-"

He interrupted before she could build a head of steam "I could, maybe. But what I really need is some food."

She first stared indignantly at him then cracked a smile, "Of course you do, it's too early for dinner though. Lets go to the kitchens?"

Harry tucked both wands in an inside pocket of his jacket and gestured with a grin plastered on his face. "Lead the way m'lady."

The lady in question huffed and lead the way out of the portrait hole nose in the air. They exited into a corridor filled with snores, they turned around to see the Fat Lady and Violet asleep with bottles of wine piled around them. She giggle and turned to him, "I would have loved to see them while awake."

He coughed and turned away from them quickly and muttered darkly. "No thank you."

Hermione looked at him, curiosity written all over her freckles. "Why?"

Harry coughed and blushed slightly but didn't answer and strode off, she fell into step beside him giving him a searching look but to his relief, dropped the matter, even if he knew she would ask him later anyway.

As they made their way down stairs, the devastation became apparent as his gaze roamed the many curse marks, chunks of wall missing, statues lying on the ground, some unrecognisable and what was unmistakably drops and puddles of dried up blood that seemed to be everywhere. As they passed the empty great hall the memories of the final battle flashed before his eyes. Voldemort and Bellatrix duelling three apiece, Molly Weasley finishing Bellatrix with a scream only to have Voldemort explode with rage and point his Wand, the Elder Wand at her. Their conversation and the curses colliding, the crowd cheering as they swamped him. Then after as the bodies were lined up, (Voldemorts was taken elsewhere) and everyone mourning for their fallen friends with Kingsley leading the proceedings.

...