A New Life

by Serena530

The war is over. Voldemort has finally been defeated, but Harry has lost something precious. Following the words of a lost loved one he makes a major discovery about himself, and sets off on a new path.

2. Making Plans & Moving Forward

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Sailor Moon or any of their characters, and have no right to them except as a long time fan.

A New Life
Chapter Two: Making Plans & Moving Forward

Harry made it outside in no time. After leaving out the front door and walking around he saw that the manor was no mansion, but it was large enough for a large family. The entire Weasley family would have fit comfortably and still have room for guests.

If the entire family was still alive. The thought floated quietly through his mind, but he shook his head to try and clear the somber morbid fact.

The land surrounding the manor was spacious and open grass; large enough for a Quidditch pitch if he desired one. If he ever wanted to put up a fence or any other protection enclosing the entire property he would have to find the land boundaries.

After Harry was finished looking around he did as he said he would and went to test out his new look; the only thing he concealed was what remained of his lightning bolt scar.

He Apparated directly to Diagon Alley and walked around, going in and out of stores, but no one recognized him. He even went into the Leaky Cauldron and still found that no one recognized him.

Just to be extra sure he Apparated to Hogsmead and roamed the village and stores, but no one approached him or pointed at him; no one whispered and stared at him. He couldn't understand why since he didn't think he looked that different. Different color eyes, less wild hair, and no scar; that was all.

Harry guessed that was just the way witches and wizards were. Maybe they had conditioned themselves to only see what they expected to see when it came to identifying him by sight.

Either way he liked the anonymity it gave him. The way he looked now was the way he should have looked all these years; this was the true face of Harry Potter.

Would Ginny have liked the way I look now? He wondered sadly. He knew she had loved his green eyes, but would she have liked the blue they should have been all this time?

Harry sighed heavily. What now? He wondered since he was finished testing his new features, his eyes looking around for inspiration.

After a few blank moments where he looked around like he was lost he decided to go ahead and officially move into the manor house.

He Apparated to Grimmauld Place and gathered his trunk, which already had all of his belongings in it since he hadn't felt the need to unpack, and locked the house down so no one would be able to enter without his presence as the legal magical owner.

He returned to the manor house, successfully Apparating just to see if he could, and arrived in the foyer. He made his way back up through the house and placed his trunk in the master bedroom, idly removing the glamour from his scar, and decided after a few blank moments to go shop for some food.

He was eating out that evening, but he was going to be living in the house now and would need food to eat.

Since he already had some muggle money there was no need to go back to Gringotts, so he left the house and went to a grocery store he was familiar with but where he likely wouldn't be recognized with his changed looks.

~HPxXxMC~

Harry returned home to the manor after an hour of shopping and put the food away in the kitchen. After he finished the mindless activity he tried to think of something to do to pass the time before he needed to head to Bill and Fleur's house.

Unfortunately, since he had nothing to immediately occupy his mind multiple topics he had no wish to think about began to come at him all at once. Most prominent was the fact that he was adopted, and that he had just been in a war.

However, unlike at Gringotts, before Fleur had interrupted his thoughts about his shocking adoption, this time the war pushed its way to the front of his mind.

A lot of people had died. He personally had lost a lot of people, and had seen so many more die.

Harry could see their faces in his mind; sometimes in his dreams sometimes when he was awake. He knew some of their names, many he didn't, and he couldn't help wondering if less of them would have died if he had been faster in finding the Horcruxes.

It wasn't even just the people who had died during the last year; it went back to his reintroduction to the magical world when he was only eleven.

He could see Professor Quirrell's face in his mind. Could see his face turning to ash beneath his hands. He didn't know if the man had been into the darks arts, a supporter of Voldemort, and been willingly possessed or if he had been a victim and had no choice but to do what Voldemort wanted since he had been inside his body. He had never found out, but either way the man had died hideously at his hands.

He had even seen the sixteen year old Tom Riddle down in the Chamber of Secrets with bright light punching holes out of his body and forcing cracks in his face to stream out.

It might not sound so bad, being light and all, but it had looked bad. It had looked painful, excruciating, like the light was burning him from the inside out.

Harry knew that Tom Riddle at that age was already heavily into the dark arts and had already branded himself as Lord Voldemort. He was smart, he didn't need anyone to tell him that that piece of his soul deserved what it got. He knew that it was actually seeing that event that had traumatized his mind.

If he was a muggle and had seen some non-magical trauma he would have gone to get therapy, but he was a wizard and unfortunately there were no healers that specialized in mental health.

A service he could have also used back in his third year because of Dementors. Because of those creatures he had seen his mother's death, and knew the sound of her terrified scream.

If nothing else, knowing that sound, of her screaming my name, let's me know that despite being adopted she really did love me. He thought sadly as he walked through the silent manor.

Unfortunately, it also made him wonder if she and his father would have lived if they had never adopted him.

Another person he had been seeing was Cedric Diggory. His confused and then blank face, his wide open eyes. He could also see Peter Pettigrew chopping off his own hand; a horrific sight to go along with his pained scream.

He could still see Sirius' surprised face as he sailed back through the veil in the Department of Mysteries, and Dumbledore's expression as the green light of the Killing Curse struck him; shocked yet accepting.

I can even see the calm face of my beloved Hedwig before a Killing Curse hit her. He thought, grimacing as he paused in his steps and leaned against the wall.

He missed her so much. She was so loyal, always there, and made sure he was never alone. She had been through the worst with him. He still hated that he hadn't been able to bury her. She deserved that much for all she had been through; she deserved that honor and respect.

He grimaced again as he was reminded that she was like Sirius; neither of them had left behind a body for him to bury and mourn over.

Harry ran his hand over his face as he closed his eyes and then sighed gustily as he opened them again. He looked around idly and realized he was standing outside the library, so he stepped forward and opened the door and walked in.

He walked around seeing all the books, and eagerly approached the closest ones in a bid to distract his mind from his grim thoughts.

There were various subjects and topics in multiple books by multiple authors that dated back from around the time his parents were last in school to years and years back through generations.

Hmm…the war took my last year at Hogwarts from me so I couldn't finish, but maybe I can do self-study and finish on my own. He considered thoughtfully.

He definitely had the time now, and no longer felt the pressing need to focus mainly on defense spells. There was also no need to worry about writing up essays and studying for tests.

There was no hurry either, and there would be no Hermione nagging and rushing him. He could take his time and go at his own pace. Not to mention there would be no hateful relatives treating him like an abused house elf and giving him no time to really get into his studies before interrupting him.

I might actually be able to do it. He thought as he nodded and looked around at all the books.

Harry checked the time and decided he could be a few minutes early to dinner, as long as it stopped his grim thoughts, but he needed to make a few adjustments first.

He made his way upstairs to the master bathroom and pulled off his Mokeskin pouch before he dug in it briefly. When he found what he was looking for he pulled his hand out and nodded at the object in his grasp.

He needed to look like the Harry Potter everyone was used to if he was going to go spend time with Bill and Fleur, and the best way to do that was to change his appearance back to what it was only hours ago.

And use the Elder Wand for good measure. He thought as he looked in the mirror before closing his eyes and picturing the way he had looked all these years.

He opened his eyes and waved the wand over his face and watched as his eyes changed to vivid green, then waved it over his head and watched as his hair became the usual wildness he had been dealing with.

Harry nodded and then picked up the glasses he had left on the counter when he realized they were pointless, and waved the wand over the two round pieces of glass before he put the glasses on.

Good. He thought, nodding when he saw that he could see clearly through the lenses. His slight transfiguration was a success, and with the strong glamor over his looks he looked exactly as he did when Fleur saw him earlier at Gringotts.

Exactly as everyone expected Harry Potter to look, because he had no intention of telling anyone that he had been adopted. The only one he would have told was gone now, and in death she knew anyway.

With that done he replaced the powerful wand safely back in his Mokeskin pouch and returned it to its place around his neck before he secreted it under his shirt.

Looking around idly to make sure he wasn't leaving anything he needed, and seeing nothing, he made his way down through the house and to the foyer. He had no idea if he could Apparate from anywhere inside the manor, and didn't want to risk any negative consequences if he couldn't.

Harry paused in the middle of the foyer and pictured where he wanted to go before he willed himself there, Apparating without a sound, and appeared just outside the wards surrounding the Shell Cottage property.

He nodded in approval as his disguised eyes briefly examined the wards. It appeared the only ward that had been taken down was the Fidelius Charm.

He thought it was good that Bill and Fleur had kept the wards up. From what he had overheard while in Diagon Alley most people had taken down their protections. Even the majority of the wards around the Burrow had been taken down, which was another reason he hadn't hesitated to move out.

Just because the war was over didn't mean there was no more danger. There were still Death Eaters out there. None of the really dangerous ones since they had all either been killed or were already in custody awaiting trial, but there were others that had no problem hurting people and had just used the banner of Voldemort's name to do it.

Harry calmly walked through the wards and along the stretch of grass to the door and knocked. It opened only a few moments after to reveal the tall figure of Bill Weasley.

"Harry!" Bill said with quiet enthusiasm. "Come on in." He welcomed him as he stepped aside.

"Thanks." Harry said quietly as he stepped inside the warm house.

"Harry." Fleur greeted him with a smile as she stepped forward and hugged him and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you made it." She said as she guided him to the sitting room.

"So how are you doing?" Bill asked as they all sat down, and he watched the young man sigh heavily.

"I don't know. I guess I'm dealing as best I can." Harry said with a shrug. "How is everyone?" He asked, and this time the older young man sighed heavily.

"Mom has barely left her room, the same with George which isn't surprising, and Dad's dealing with his grief by helping out at the Ministry." Bill said. "Percy is splitting his time between helping at the Ministry and spending time with George."

"Charlie's been helping out where he can, but he's going to be heading back to Romania tomorrow. And Ron has been spending all of his time with Hermione; the two of them actually left a few days ago for Australia to get her parents."

"I'm not surprised about that. I'm also not surprised I wasn't told." Harry said with a shrug, and silently wished Hermione luck considering what she had done to her parents.

Ron had been confused about why she had altered her parents' memories, but ultimately decided she knew what she was doing and knew her parents best. Harry for his part thought she used the best solution that would allow her to do what she wanted to do.

If his hateful relatives could be secreted away to safety then her parents could have as well, but she hadn't wanted to tell them she was going on a dangerous mission for the war so that could be done; because she knew her parents wouldn't have allowed it.

I wonder what that relationship will be like once they remember who they actually are. He thought idly. He doubted the older Granger's would ever completely trust their daughter again.

"I hope Mrs. Weasley and George will be okay, and I'm glad everyone else is finding ways to get through this." He said. "What about you two? How are you both handling everything?" He asked and watched the couple look to each other.

"We are leaning on each other." Fleur answered as she looked back to him. "There are good days and bad days, but I believe we will heal and learn to manage the grief so it is not so intense."

Harry nodded slowly wondering if he would be able to do that. He couldn't imagine his grief over losing Ginny being any less than it was now.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Bill asked curiously.

"I'll probably go traveling at some point in the near future, but right now I want to focus on finishing my education." Harry answered. "I don't know what's going to happen with Hogwarts, and I don't want to go back there anyway. Is it possible to just do independent study, and go take my N.E.W.T.s at the Ministry?"

"Of course it is." Bill answered instantly. "That's how people who are homeschooled take their exams. All you would have to do is go to the Department of Education and make an appointment for when the next exam schedule comes around, which is likely to be in the next month or two."

"Do you think you will be ready for the tests by then?" Fleur asked.

"I don't know but I'm going to study, and see how I feel when the time for the tests comes around." Harry said, and then shrugged. "It will keep me and my mind busy if nothing else."

"True." Fleur agreed as she nodded. "Hopefully it will give you time to process everything that has happened in the war."

"I hope so." He said with a weary sigh.

"Come, let's get a hot meal into you." She said as she stood up. "If nothing else a full stomach will help you sleep better tonight."

"Come on Harry." Bill said as he stood up as well. "Fleur made soup tonight."

Harry stood up silently and walked with the couple to the kitchen dining area, and sat at the table at Fleur's direction. She served him a generous bowl of soup and did the same for herself and Bill before joining them at the table.

As they ate Harry peppered them with questions about their jobs with the Goblins. He wanted to keep his mind from wandering and he was curious about what they did for a living.

He didn't know what he wanted to do for his career, being an Auror was no longer interesting, but it didn't hurt to start learning about different types of jobs.

Bill and Fleur were happy to tell him all he wanted to know.

~HPxXxMC~

A month had passed since the war and Harry had been busy during that time.

He had just finished his work with the Goblins after two weeks, but during that time they had asked about Ron and Hermione. He had told them that he didn't know what the two were thinking since he hadn't talked to them about it. He figured it was Ron and Hermione's responsibility since they knew what they had done.

Harry thought Hermione must not have needed any gold, but then he honestly wasn't sure if she actually had a vault at the bank. If she didn't then she just came in and exchanged muggle money for Galleons. Ron he knew didn't have a personal vault; he got his money from his parents.

He thought they were both foolish if that was why they hadn't gone to make reparations with the Goblins. If they planned on living in the Wizarding World they would eventually need to establish vaults, and the Goblins highly likely wouldn't let them until they made things right with them. The longer they waited the worst it would be.

Aside from his work with the Goblins he helped out at Hogwarts, getting the castle repaired and ready for the new school year.

He hadn't wanted to go at all, didn't want to be back there, but he didn't want to deal with the reporters talking about him not helping out and then making up something outrageous for him to deal with.

He was putting in time helping out at the Ministry when it came to putting away all the Death Eaters. Making sure the hardcore ones got the long and severe sentences they had earned, and the ones that didn't do anything too dangerous or dangerous at all got the less severe sentences they had earned.

Basically making sure everyone got the right amount of time in Azkaban for the right charges.

He was also studying for his N.E.W.T.s. He had made himself a study schedule, finally understanding why Hermione liked them so much when she was studying, but it wasn't the madness that she usually created.

It was a simple schedule to help him study around his other responsibilities. He had looked at the subjects he had taken in his sixth year, and decided that he would focus on two subjects a day; working on the theory and the practical.

Despite only focusing on two subjects a day he was very serious about his studies. He didn't just focus on the material he would have learned in his seventh year; he went all the way back to first year material since he had access to all of the textbooks.

He read them cover to cover, something he had never done, and to his surprise he realized there was much more material in them than he thought. There were spells and explanations in them that they had not learned in class. Things that were useful for random everyday things.

With that discovery he was glad he had decided to read the books in their entirety instead of sections here and there.

On top of those studies he decided to study up on mind magic, Occlumency specifically, from a couple of books he found in the manor library feeling like he would have a better chance at finally learning it without a death eater instructor that hated his father and therefore him because he looked like the man.

He thought it would help him with remembering all the information he was studying, and of course protect his mind and his secrets.

Harry had built up his mental defenses, and surprisingly turned his mind into a mixture of a garden and a library. Or rather a garden surrounding a library.

There was a field of vibrant red roses as far as the eye could see in all directions and seemingly in the center of it was a white marble roofless gazebo with green vines winding up the four pillars.

The walls of his mind consisted of a large transparent dome that was tied to his magic, so any intruder with a different magical signature than his would not get in. Should they somehow manage to breakthrough he imagined the roses to act like Devils Snare and do what that deadly plant did best.

The gazebo itself didn't have a barrier but once he reached it he saw that stretched between the pillars was what looked like golden transparent panes of glass.

That confused him since he hadn't imagined that to be any part of his defense or the look, and he couldn't help wondering if that was the color of his magic because he had always thought his magic was blue since that was the color of his Patronus.

Either way he could tell that the golden energy was strong, stronger than the dome that made up the boundary of his mind.

Once through that energy he found he was not in a gazebo but in a large circular building. The walls were white, as was the marble floor, with gold assents along the edging at the top and bottom of the room. The ceiling was a dome with round windows spaced out along its circumference, and he could see that instead of glass there was the golden transparent energy in place.

Lining the walls around the room were dark brown wooden empty shelves and in the center of the room was a podium with a single book on it.

At first Harry had been confused by that, and wondered what was going on with his mind since the room was empty; clearly his memories weren't in this empty room that was obviously meant to be a library.

That had cleared up when he went and opened the book. The pages were blank, but as the memory of Tom Riddle's diary flashed through his mind, triggered by the blank pages, the pages began to fill up.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what to do next. He focused and began to fill the book with the memory of his first encounter with that cursed diary. After deciding that book would only hold that memory he closed it and lifted it off the podium and another book appeared in its place.

From there he began to fill the blank books that appeared with his memories and place them on the shelves. Organizing them by year and subject as he went.

So far he thought the organization was helping him remember all the information that he was gaining through his studies better, and he thought it was also helping him manage his emotions better.

Beyond that he was growing more and more certain that he wanted to travel and get away from everything, all the constant reminders of the war, and have a change of scenery. He was seriously considering going as soon as after he got his N.E.W.T. results back; he just needed a starting destination.

At the moment Harry was making his way through the Ministry on his way to the designated Apparition area near the fireplaces so he could head to the Burrow.

He had still been trying to move pass the nightmare he had woken from that morning, this one about Voldemort winning and taking him prisoner and him being constantly visited by the spirits of the people who had lost their lives during the war, when Mr. Weasley approached him and invited him to lunch at the Burrow, saying that others would be there and he thought it would be nice for everyone, family wise, in the country to get together.

Harry had nodded, knowing that the only one that wouldn't be there was Charlie since he was in Romania, and agreed; saying he would be there.

Now he just needed to get to the Apparition point, and get out of the building without being stopped by someone who wanted pointless conversation with The Boy Who Lived.

~xXx~

Harry sat in the sitting room at the Burrow, in a side chair, gazing at the fire in the fireplace, wondering if he was strong enough to visit Ginny before he left the Burrow.

"So Harry, where are you living?" Hermione asked as she joined him, sitting on the couch at the end closest to him. "I haven't been able to get into Grimmauld Place, so you can't be there."

"What do you mean you haven't been able to get inside?" Harry asked calmly as he looked at her.

"Just that." She answered primly. "I tried to Apparate inside, Floo inside, and unlock the front door, but nothing worked so I figured you weren't there."

"It didn't occur to you that I have the place locked, so you would need my permission to get inside? I haven't received any word from you that you were trying to visit me." He said.

"I didn't think I needed to send you any word. You never had a problem with me walking into your dorm room at the castle, and you didn't have a problem when we were all living at Grimmauld Place together." Hermione said.

Harry stared at her; very glad he had decided to move into Potter Manor, not that she would have been able to get into the Black family townhouse if he had still lived there.

Really. What did he care if she had walked into a room he had been sharing with four other guys? It wasn't like he had walked around naked, so if the others hadn't minded what did it matter?

And at Grimmauld Place he had been sharing his room with Ron, so if the red head hadn't minded he hadn't either. Again, it wasn't as if he had been naked in the room, and at the time the house hadn't belonged to him so it hadn't been a problem.

"That was then. We're adults now, and I require privacy. I no longer have anyone dictating where I can and can't live, and what I can and can't do. I am free now, and that freedom requires privacy." Harry stated bluntly.

"You wouldn't dream of walking into Bill and Fleur's home without an invitation or even any notice that you were coming, and you certainly wouldn't do it here." He pointed out.

"You live with your parents; how would you like it if I suddenly showed up and walked through the front door or Apparated in without a word? You wouldn't like it, and your parents certainly wouldn't. So why should I be any different?" He asked.

"But we're friends, so it's different with you." Hermione pointed out in return.

"No it isn't." Harry said seriously. "Being my friend doesn't give you the right to me and my house. None of my other friends think they have that right. I don't know why you think you're special, and can get away with that."

Hermione sighed. "Alright alright." She said, but the look on her face said she didn't agree with him.

Harry sighed silently and looked away; glad she didn't know where he lived.

"So, where do you live now?" Hermione asked, circling back to her original question.

"Somewhere private." He answered simply, fighting not to roll his eyes.

"But where?! How am I supposed to get in contact with you?" She asked.

"Send me an owl like everyone else does when they want to contact me. We can always meet up somewhere and hangout that way if you want to do that." He said almost carelessly, losing interest in the conversation now that he had made his opinion perfectly clear.

"Oh come on Harry!" Hermione said.

"Don't take it personally; no one knows where I live, and that isn't going to change anytime soon." Harry replied. She huffed, and he decided to change the subject as Ron came into the room and joined them.

"So, what do you two plan to do with yourselves now?" He asked the pair.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts." Hermione said instantly. "I want to finish my education, my last year, since the school is offering an eighth year for the seventh year students that weren't able to go back to the castle because of the war."

Harry wondered how she knew that since she hadn't been at the castle helping out; neither had Ron for that matter. He supposed she could have learned from one of the Weasley's working at the Ministry.

"I'm going to help George with the joke shop instead of going back to Hogwarts until I can figure out what I want to do. I might go into Auror training." Ron said from his seat on the couch next to Hermione.

"You should really come back to Hogwarts with me and finish your education; it would definitely help toward Auror training." Hermione said to him as she placed a hand on his thigh.

"What about you? What do you plan to do?" She asked as she looked to Harry.

"I don't know. At the moment I'm focused on helping out with the repairs at Hogwarts and the preparation for the trials at the Ministry." Harry said.

Of course he didn't say that he was studying for his N.E.W.T.s and seriously thinking about traveling. He might tell them about his travels, just before he left, but they didn't need to know about him taking his N.E.W.T.s or what his results were.

"Why don't you go back to Hogwarts and finish your schooling?" Hermione suggested. "You'll need your education no matter what you decide."

"Uninterested. I can barely stand being at the castle now just helping out. I can't imagine living there day after day with my memories." Harry said instantly.

It doesn't help that nearly everyone who went to Hogwarts last year have told me what it was like there. He thought as he closed his eyes briefly.

He had known that Snape had been Headmaster and Death Eaters had been teaching some classes and just being around, but he couldn't imagine what the students had gone through.

Being chained up in the dungeons and tortured, being tortured in class, being denied food, being threatened in the hallways with physical and sexual assault.

It was horrifying and his mind had immediately gone to Ginny, and what she must have suffered. She had had no choice but to return to the castle being pureblood as she was and unable to use magic without the trace, then had a hellish year of the school being run by Death Eaters, and then died in the final battle.

No. I'm definitely not returning to Hogwarts for any kind of education. My mind would be torturing me with wondering where she had been in the castle, and what horror she had experienced in a particular spot. He thought as he worked to push his cruel imaginings away so he could put them away in one of the books in his mind.

And that doesn't include what people would tell me unsolicited; not to mention the general irritation of being The Boy Who Lived and the one who defeated Voldemort. That alone would have students pointing, whispering, and approaching me. He thought with a quiet sigh.

"But what about your education? You too Ron?" Hermione asked as she looked back and forth between him and Ron.

Ron looked uncomfortable with the question, and Harry vaguely wondered what he would say to Mrs. Weasley when she came out of her grief enough to start questioning him.

"Don't worry about it Hermione." Harry said as he looked from Ron to her. "You know what you want to do; you want to finish your education, and that's fine. Just don't worry yourself about what I'm going to do."

"But, but…" Hermione said with a frown.

"Worry about yourself Hermione." He said as he stood up and began to head to the kitchen, having spotted Fleur going in.

Maybe he could help with preparing lunch or just sit and talk to her without the worry of her trying to pressure him to return to Hogwarts.

~HPxXxMC~

Harry had taken his N.E.W.T.s, thankfully he was able to take them at the Ministry instead of joining the testing that had happened at Hogwarts to see where everyone was and what year to put them in, and was sure he had done well.

Studying and learning magic had been a lot easier without Hermione constantly nagging at him about how he should be studying, when he should be studying, and what he should be studying at a particular time. Not to mention where he should be studying.

He'd also done better and got more done without Ron around to constantly want to take a break or talk about flying and Quidditch when he should be focused.

Bill had been right; the Ministry had somehow managed to schedule the N.E.W.T.s for a month and half after the war had ended. He expected his results any day now, but in the meantime he had decided it was finally time to address his adoption with the major people who knew.

He had deliberately waited to give himself time to adjust to the knowledge, and not interfere with his studies. Not to mention to try and get some distance from the memories of the war.

He had adjusted and accepted being adopted, and finished his studies for his N.E.W.T.s, but the memories were still there and plaguing him nearly nightly.

There was nothing he could do about that, so it was time to get on with his plan.

He pulled out the Resurrection Stone from its safe storage around his neck, and turned it three times as he focused on his adopted parents.

Instantly they appeared just as they had the first time he had used the powerful stone. They were both transparent yet more solid than ghosts and in color; looking healthy and perfectly fine.

Lily Potter had long red hair, nearly as fiery as his Ginny's, and emerald green eyes. While James Potter had short wild black hair, brown eyes, and wore glasses.

Looking closely at their height and faces as he stood in the master bedroom in Potter Manor he could clearly see that they were both tall. He might have gotten his height from them, having grown more in fifth and sixth year at Hogwarts, and he definitely had their facial structures.

"Mom; Dad." Harry said as he closed his hand around the stone.

"Harry." James said with a smile.

"Harry dear." Lily said softly as her eyes drank him in. He wasn't wearing his concealing glamours, and wondered if she hadn't seen him like this since she died.

Although, if they've been watching me than they've both seen me with my true appearance in the last month and a half. He thought as he in turn drank in their appearance.

They were his adopted parents, but they were still his parents; still the two he had been missing all these years. Their sacrifice was something he had been trying to live up to for the last seven years. He had, understandably, been distracted the last time he had summoned them, and it was good now to see them looking happy and at peace.

"You adopted me." Harry stated as he looked back and forth between them.

"Yes." James confirmed as Lily nodded.

"Why?" He asked.

Harry needed to know. He needed to know why they hadn't sent him back to Japan or put him an orphanage. Why they took such a chance when they were essentially living in a time of war. His mom's letter said he had struck their hearts, but he needed to hear it from them since he had this unique ability that allowed him to do so.

"Well, the first time we saw you was right after the accident that took your birth parents." James began.

"Yes. We were actually the ones that discovered the accident site. We could hear you crying and followed the sound to you." Lily said and closed her eyes, likely against the memory.

"It was not a pretty scene." James continued with a grimace. "How you survived…you clearly have an important purpose in this life."

"Yeah, I think I've already fulfilled that." Harry said as he ran his free hand through his hair. The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One… The titles drifted unhappily through his mind.

"No." Lily said empathically. "That prophecy was only the beginning. We didn't know, didn't realize it, the last time we spoke. We honestly thought you were actually going to die with that horcrux being inside of you, but when you didn't we understood that there was more in store for you."

"There is definitely more in store for you, but you should live your life the way you want. Not because you think you have this important purpose you need to find." James said. "But back to your question; we adopted you because you lived, you survived such a horrific accident, and you needed to be cared for and loved."

"You were such a cute little baby, and we had so much love to give." Lily said with a smile. "We thought nothing of starting our family with you."

"But if you hadn't you might still be alive!" Harry cried out.

"Oh Harry!" Lily moaned, tears in her eyes as she brought her hands up to her mouth.

"The key word in there son is might." James said as he put his arm around Lily. "It was a dangerous time and we had already faced Voldemort a number of times. There was no guarantee that we would have survived another attack even if we hadn't brought you into the family."

"He's right Harry." Lily said as she sniffled. "We don't regret having you in our lives for the time we did at all. You are our only child; our legacy to the world. The only thing I regret is that you had to experience life with my sister and her husband. That never should have happened."

"And it wouldn't have happened if Sirius had been more mature and had his priorities in order." James said with an aggravated frown. "Even after he got back into your life his priorities hadn't exactly been what they should have been. You can be sure that he got more than an earful when we met him on this side."

Harry nodded and smiled slightly, pleased that even in death his parents had been looking out for him. He completely understood what his dad was talking about. Even after he broke out of prison it was all about getting Peter Pettigrew rather than getting himself cleaned up and situated so he could provide him a home away from the Dursley's.

Harry hadn't had the mental capacity in his third year to think like an adult, but Sirius certainly had; and he definitely did now. It was like the man had forgotten he was a wizard! He had obviously gotten a wand from somewhere and he clearly had access to his vault if he could buy him an expensive racing broom.

There was no reason he couldn't have thrown on some glamour charms, bought some clothes, and got himself a place to live in the muggle world. Magic could do a lot of things and Sirius seemed to have completely forgotten that, and was content to sit back and take advice and decisions from Dumbledore instead of being the adult wizard he had been!

"You can also be sure that Dumbledore heard from us as well for all he did to you." Lily added, her eyes flashing. "Changing my baby's looks!" She grumbled.

"Not that you didn't look nice as practically my twin with your mother's eyes, but we loved you as our blue eyed little boy and we wanted you to stay that way." James said firmly.

Harry smiled a little wider, happy that his mom and dad liked him, loved him, with his true looks. Sadly the reminder brought his mind to Ginny.

Would Ginny have liked me this way? He wondered sadly as he looked down.

"Have you…have you guys seen Ginny?" Harry asked hesitantly as he looked back to them.

"Oh yes. She's a lovely young woman." Lily said as James grinned.

"I miss her. She would have eventually been my wife." He said sadly.

"And she would have made you a great wife." James said gently before he smiled. "Especially being a red head. We Potters have an unconscious tradition of picking red heads as our partners in life."

"But you're not only a Potter." Lily said gently.

"Ginny said there was another out there for me." Harry said quietly.

"I'm sure there is. We certainly don't want you to spend the rest of your life alone." James said.

"You don't know? Ginny sounded certain." He asked in surprise.

"We probably could know, but we've tried our best to not get any foreknowledge. We want to see your life as you live it not know what's going to happen ahead of time." Lily told him.

Harry nodded. That let him know that they really had been watching over him all this time since they died.

And Ginny's watching with them, and knows what's going to happen; or at least knows some things that will happen. He thought before he sighed.

"I should let you go now. Thanks for letting me know. I just…I needed to know." He said.

"We understand Harry." Lily said as she nodded.

"Be happy, and go live your life." James said insistently. "There's no more prophecy in the way, and no meddling old man who thinks he has the right to dictate your life. You are in control now; as it always should have been."

Harry nodded. "I love you both." He told them.

"We love you too." Lily said with a smile and a wave.

Harry waved back and then dropped the Resurrection Stone into his free hand, and watched his parents disappear from his sight. He sighed and then focused on the next person he needed to have a conversation with; picturing their face in his mind.

He once again turned the stone three times, and watched his godfather appear looking as he did when he had summoned him in the forbidden forest. A colorful yet transparent young healthy man that looked bright eyed and at peace.

"Sirius." He said calmly.

"Hey there Pup!" Sirius said with a grin. "Good job against Moldyshorts."

"Yeah. Thanks." Harry said with a grimace as he unwillingly remembered that final battle with Voldemort throwing a second Killing Curse at him that night.

Is it possible that even in death he hasn't matured? Maybe his time in Azkaban stunted his mental growth. He wondered as he looked at the man.

It was always possible, however, the man had been the same age as his parents, and his parents had been mature enough to decide to adopt him. Not just adopt him but literally make him their own blood and raise him as their own.

"Why didn't you tell me I was adopted?" Harry asked seriously. "You knew that Lily Potter hadn't birthed me. The letter mom left in the family vault said you knew, and you never said a word!"

Sirius sighed heavily.

"At first, when I had first escaped from Azkaban, I was so focused on trying to capture that rat and keep you safe." He said, and Harry refrained from rolling his eyes. Even in death Sirius couldn't refer to Peter Pettigrew by his name.

"Then I was on the run and didn't want to risk saying it in a letter, and after that Voldemort was back and everything seemed to take a backseat to dealing with him." Sirius said.

"And when we were at Grimmauld Place together the summer before my fifth year? You couldn't have told me then?" Harry asked with a frown.

"I..I honestly didn't think about it then." Sirius admitted. "You were James and Lily's son, and that was all that mattered."

"You should have told me! I shouldn't have had to find out from a letter secreted away in my family vault!" He said angrily as he tightened his hold on the Resurrection Stone.

"Do you know how shocking that revelation was?! How shocking it was to break the strong glamour that had been tied into my magic for years, and discover that I had blue eyes and perfect eye sight!" He continued.

"That! That you had to have noticed when you first saw me with green eyes! And you still said nothing! I deserved to be able to speak to someone about this, but of course with my usual luck I find out when everyone who knew is already dead!" He raged at the unfairness.

"It is only my determination to follow my instincts and keep the Resurrection Stone, and use it to my advantage, that has allowed me to speak to you now. Otherwise, all I would have is a letter from mom, the adoption papers, and my birth certificates!" Harry said angrily before he glared at his godfather and began to pace around his bedroom.

He hadn't realized how angry he was, and it was all aimed at his godfather. His parents had done all they could before they died. His mother had had the foresight to leave him a letter, they had left all the legal documents together and in one place with the letter, and had picked out a guardian for him should anything happen to them.

Sirius should have raised him and told him he was adopted, but no. He had decided that his revenge against Peter Pettigrew was more important than doing his job as his godfather.

And even now he was giving him flimsy half-assed excuses. He was trying to keep him safe from Pettigrew when he learned that he was at Hogwarts with him, but apparently before that he had been perfectly content to waste away in Azkaban with Pettigrew out in the world potentially already close to him. After all, he had no idea where he was before that newspaper article.

Then he was on the run and didn't want to write it in a letter. What a load of crap! His mother had no problem leaving the information in a letter. And hadn't he been a part of making the Marauders Map? If he was really that concerned he could have used the same charms to make it so only he could read the letter.

And then Voldemort being back. That dark maniac being back was why Sirius couldn't have an important conversation with him? He hadn't been back and out in the open; he'd been back and laying low. Sirius was locked down in his family house and had nothing but time. He could have told him if he really wanted to. Seeing his green eyes should have been a constant reminder that he needed to have the conversation.

Sirius' last answer revealed all his previous excuses for what they were anyway. He thought it didn't matter, because he was James and Lily's son. He was a Potter, so what did it matter if he ever knew?

He probably liked looking at my wild hair and glasses, because they reminded him of my dad; his best friend. Harry thought as he stopped and looked to Sirius.

"I'm sorry Pup." Sirius said quietly. "I really thought it wouldn't make a difference. James and Lily did a blood adoption, so you were a Potter. What came before didn't matter."

Harry looked at him incredulously.

"Of course it matters!" He burst out angrily. "I'm glad mom and dad thought it mattered as well! Did you know my birth name or did you think that didn't matter as well?! It's Mamoru Chiba. The name the man and woman who brought me into this world gave me; the two people who didn't matter according to you."

"Mom and dad may have adopted me and given me their blood, but that didn't erase what came before. I'm still Mamoru Chiba; I'm still Japanese! That identity can still affect my life!" Harry said insistently.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that it would matter. I didn't realize how much not knowing would hurt you." Sirius said, and then sighed. "I guess I judged based on my own family history."

Harry saw that as yet another excuse. For someone who hated his family Sirius seemed to judge everything based on them and their ideals, and that when he wasn't doing the opposite of their ideals.

I doubt I'll be talking to him again, so I better end this and move on. I got the anger out and expressed, so maybe now I'll feel a bit better. He thought as he nodded to his godfather.

"I understand." Harry said, and nodded to him again. "I better let you go. Thanks for answering my questions and explaining."

"No problem Pup, and I really am sorry for not telling you when I was alive." Sirius said.

"It's okay." Harry said even though it wasn't.

"Be happy." Sirius said with a wave.

Harry nodded even though he couldn't see that happening without Ginny around, and dropped the stone into his free hand. Sirius disappeared from his sight and he sighed heavily. He had one more conversation to have, and he wasn't even entirely sure it could happen.

Did the Resurrection Stone work on non-magical people?

Harry was about to find out. He took the stone between his fingers and focused on the names Daichi Chiba and Akina Chiba and their connection to him personally as he turned the stone three times.

Instantly two colorful yet transparent figures appeared in front of him. Both had short hair cut above their ears, but the woman's hair was styled in a way that enhanced her femininity. His was black and hers was a dark brown, and both had blue eyes but in slightly different shades.

They were both dressed comfortably and casually, and the woman had dangling double pearl earrings in her ears.

Harry stared at them intently and silently; taking in every detail he could of their appearance. He realized he got his shade of blue eyes from his father, and the messiness of his hair from his mother. They were both tall, so he thought it was possible he got his height from them as well.

And I have my father's nose. He thought quietly as he watched them looking at him just as intently.

"Mother; Father." He said hesitantly as he idly closed his hand around the stone. He wasn't sure if language mattered when one was dead, so he wasn't sure if they would understand each other.

"Son." Daichi replied with a smile.

"Mamoru." Akina said softly also with a smile.

"I..I don't know what to say. I just learned about you both only a little over a month ago." Harry said quietly.

"It's okay son. We know. We have been watching." Daichi said.

"Yes. We were so happy when Lily and James brought you into their family. We were so worried about what would happen to you being in a foreign country with no family." Akina said.

"Then we learned about magic, that there were magical societies in the world, and that the Potters were part of the English society; that they were a witch and a wizard." Daichi said with remembered excitement.

"And we watched in amazement as our little Mamoru became a wizard." Akina said proudly, and Harry could tell that she really was proud that he was a wizard.

"We have seen your childhood son. We've seen your years at the magical school, and the war you were involved in." Daichi informed him. "We have also met your Ginevra."

"Such a polite and beautiful young lady." Akina said softly.

Harry smiled sadly; once again remembering Ginny's words about watching him with all of his parents.

"I agree." He said quietly.

"Oh I'm so sorry to cause you pain. That's the last thing I wanted." Akina said in dismay.

"It's not your fault. I just miss her." He said with a shrug, sure that they knew how he felt about Ginny.

"Since you have watched me all this time can you tell me about you and the life we had before the accident?" Harry asked, wanting to know all he could about his birth parents.

Akina and Daichi had no problem and eagerly began to tell their soon all about themselves and the life their little family had had in Japan.

~HPxXxMC~

After his conversation with his birth parents Harry decided to learn to speak Japanese to honor them and his heritage, and because he had decided to travel to Japan. He wanted to return to his birth country and see what it was like for himself. He even wondered if he would like it enough to stay permanently, and get away from all The Boy Who Lived hype.

He had searched the manor library to see if he could find any books about learning different languages before he went out and bought any, and ended up finding an old book that had a potion in it that would make learning a language much easier than he thought.

The explanation of the potion's use was that a person was to drink it while listening to the language they wanted to learn, and from there continue to listen until they were fluent.

As the person listened they began to understand the spoken words, and when they read they began to understand the written words, and eventually they found they had no problem writing it. All they had to do aside from listening to people talk was simply practice reading, writing, and speaking the language.

Each brewing of the potion was for a single use, lasting two weeks, and all of it had to be drunk at once. Thankfully it was also noted that it could be taken as many times as was necessary, and highly suggested that it be used to learn one language at a time.

To Harry it was clear that the potion was invented for people who would be in the country of the language they would be learning, so they would be surrounded by it with no possibility of interference from another language.

The recipe was easy to follow and only took a day to brew. After checking the potion lab he had gone out and bought the ingredients he didn't already have access to, and then carefully brewed the potion.

He let it cool overnight and then transferred it into a goblet he had transfigured to look like a nice blue muggle water bottle.

Currently Harry was on his way to Japantown, an area that was smaller than a mall and yet larger than a plaza, after helping with the repairs at Hogwarts all morning. He had first come across the shopping plaza while wandering around muggle London when he needed a break from studying.

The mall-like plaza carried all things Japanese, and it seemed many of the Japanese English population did a lot of their shopping there, so he thought it was the perfect place to learn the language.

He entered the front doors to the plaza and walked to the indoor eating area and sat down at a small table. He placed a regular bottle of water on the table along with his disguised potion, and a small Japanese English dictionary he bought.

It was late afternoon, and judging by the amount of people sitting at the tables, he had chosen the right time to come. He picked up his transfigured bottle and began to drink the potion.

The potion was nasty, not as nasty as some he had been forced to drink, but nasty enough that he fought to keep drinking it. He just reminded himself why he was subjecting himself to it, and that made it a bit easier to go down.

As soon as he finished every last drop he opened his water bottle and drank half of it to try and get the taste out of his mouth. He sighed and opened the dictionary and began to read through it even as he listened to all the conversations going on around him.

The book hadn't said how long it would take to start noticing results, so he planned to stay in the plaza as long as he could.

And that was exactly what Harry had done. When he got tired of reading he began to walk around and explore the stores. It wasn't until the plaza was about to close that he found he began to understand some of the words being spoken around him.

After that he began to spend a lot of time at Japantown, Apparating directly there from his home when he could to avoid hearing other languages, listening to the language and seeing what was there. He hoped the time he spent there would start helping him get used to the culture.

One of the more curious things he noticed was all the Sailor V merchandise. He couldn't help wondering what that was all about. Apparently she was some kind of real life muggle super hero that had been fighting a group of criminals to supposedly protect the planet.

She was a blonde haired young woman that wore a red bow in her hair, a golden crescent moon on her forehead, a red mask over her blue eyes, and had a white choker around her neck with a golden crescent moon on it.

She wore a white sleeveless midriff shirt with some red accents along the sides that showed her stomach with a blue collar with two red stripes on it, had a red bow on her chest with an orange round brooch at the center, and white armor-like shoulder guards.

She had white long gloves with a smooth orange-yellow band around their top edges, a short blue skirt with a red border and a back bow at her waist, and blue shoes with ankle straps.

Harry hadn't actually seen anything about the sailor girl outside of Japantown, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything to see. It could just prove that he wasn't spending a lot of time in the muggle world or he had just been too busy with the war.

Either way there was a lot about the young sailor woman to see in the plaza. Posters, dolls: pose-able plastic ones and small stuffed ones, jewelry, replica masks, gloves, skirts, and shoes.

It was a bit much but it gave him things to read to better his understanding of the Japanese language.

In addition to his efforts to learn the Japanese language he began to study up on the country of Japan, and learn more magic in preparation for being on his own in a foreign country.

It was no different than his previous studies for his N.E.W.T.s. It was actually more like a continuation, which proved to be easy to do considering all the books at the manor and the few he had grabbed from his family vault.

When it came to learning about the magical aspect of Japan he found that there wasn't much information to be found. He knew they had a Ministry of Magic but not where it was, and that they had a magical school but he could only find the name of the school and the fact that it was apparently a really good school.

During all this Harry began to grow distant from Ron and Hermione. The two friends had finally become a couple and were spending so much time together, and on top of that Ron was grieving the loss of Ginny and Fred. He would be his usual self and then get bursts of anger, and it was usually directed at Harry when he was around.

Harry didn't want to deal with any of that. He had his own grief and emotions to deal with, and he didn't want to see them being lovey dovey and romantic in front of him. He just couldn't stand seeing couples right now. He was also busy himself; having thrown himself into his studies of magic and the Japanese language.

Plus, he vaguely thought it was a good idea that he was distancing himself from them. He highly doubted he would be keeping in touch with them when he left for Japan.

In fact, it was highly doubtful he would even be telling them where he was going. He would likely just tell them he was going traveling, and who knew when he would be back.

However, unlike with Ron and Hermione he was actually growing closer to Bill and Fleur. Not close enough to actually tell them about him being adopted, but still close. It wasn't a result of distancing himself from Ron and Hermione; he just felt more comfortable around them. They were quiet, patient, and understanding.

They were a married couple, but when he was around they didn't display their physical affection in an obvious way; the way Ron and Hermione had begun to do. He could talk about his memories of Ginny without worry of them brushing him off or being angry about the type of memory it was.

He also occasionally went to their cottage to study when he didn't feel like being alone, but didn't really want to talk. He just wanted the presence of people he knew around him. Something that they easily accepted.

It was nice to have those simple considerations.

~xXx~

It was one of those days when Harry sat in the kitchen in Shell Cottage. He had a book on tricky everyday Charms and a muggle notebook open on the table in front of him, and a muggle pen in his hand, but his eyes stared off into space; his mind elsewhere.

Fleur walked into the kitchen to begin preparing lunch. She was going to go simple with sandwiches and a salad. However, she paused as she glanced at Harry and saw his green eyes dazed and staring across the kitchen.

"Are you alright? Are you having any trouble understanding?" She asked as she glanced to his book and notebook. It looked like he had stopped mid-sentence in his notes.

Harry blinked up at Fleur blankly, and then blinked again, this time clearing his eyes.

"I miss Ginny's blush." He said calmly yet sadly. "It would always spread across her nose and cheeks, and make her freckles stand out."

"Oh Harry." Fleur said sadly as she pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. "Did you always like her blush?" She asked gently.

"No." He said quietly. "When she just had a crush on me I didn't think anything of it, because I didn't understand it; I was only twelve."

"And after you started dating?" She asked.

"I thought it was cute. It always reminded me of the days where she used to have a crush on me, and then she made me see beyond the cuteness of it. She made me see the intimacy of it." He answered honestly.

"What else do you miss about Ginny?" Fleur asked gently.

"Her smile, the way she smiled at me, and her brown eyes. The way she looked at me. No else had ever looked at me the way she did." Harry said as he pictured the softness in her brown eyes.

"Her voice." He added suddenly. "I don't want to forget the sound of her voice." He said urgently.

Although, he knew he could use the Resurrection Stone to talk to her, and hear her voice, he didn't want to become reliant on using the stone that way. He didn't want to repeatedly interrupt her peace.

"You won't Harry. You won't." Fleur assured him. "If you keep thinking about her, keep her alive in your mind, then you will always hear her voice."

Harry nodded slowly, seriously hoping she was right. He did not ever want to forget Ginny's voice. He didn't want to forget her expressive brown eyes, her fiery red hair, her smile, her love of flying, her belief in him, and her acceptance of him as just Harry.

~HPxXxMC~

Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room late one night with Ginny comfortably on his lap. The fire was low in the fireplace and yet it was enough to provide them with plenty of light to hangout by.

They had both stayed away from each other all day because they both needed to study and get homework done, and now they were thoroughly enjoying their quiet time together regardless of the late hour.

Ginny had her arms around his neck, gently running her fingers through his hair, and they kissed and talked about nothing in particular. It was just small talk about their day, and random things here and there.

It was just a regular night but Harry had never been happier as he played with her red hair, enjoyed the feel of her weight, and the sound of her voice softly flowing through his ears.

Then in the blink of his eye she was gone. One moment she was smiling softly at him and the next she was gone.

Harry blinked in surprise and then looked around as if Ginny had simply somehow moved across the room, but she was nowhere in the cozy room. She had disappeared into thin air.

"Ginny?" He said her name quietly as he stood up and looked around. "Ginny?" He called louder this time.

Still, there was nothing. There was no answer, and she didn't appear as quickly as she had disappeared.

Suddenly Harry began to hear muffled sounds, and he moved to the window to try and find the source. It was dark out there, but he could still see the grounds in general, and didn't see anything that could be the cause of the sound.

However, he could still hear it so he headed to the entrance to the common room to see if it was coming from the corridor. He opened the portrait hole and stepped out into a blast of screaming and raucous laughter.

Immediately he recognized the voice screaming as Ginny's, and he instantly pulled out his wand and ran forward, his mind barely registering that this wasn't the corridor leading to the Gryffindor common room, but actually one of the corridors in the dungeons.

He slammed unexpectedly into an invisible wall, stopping him in his tracks, and he beat his fists against it as he listened to Ginny's pained screams.

The people surrounding her were wearing Slytherin robes, and he recognized all of their faces. Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Zabini, and Nott.

"Crucio!" He heard someone cast the agonizing Cruciatus Curse, and he could see Ginny's legs twitch and her beautiful hair flying as her head moved with her pained screams.

Harry's mind finally moved passed his surprised shock, and he tried to use magic to break the barrier in front of him but nothing worked. His spells just bounced off the transparent wall.

"Ginny!" He called out helplessly as he once again beat his fists against the invisible wall keeping him from her, his wand shooting out sparks in another expression of his emotions. This was torture, he was being tortured right along with her with hearing her screams and not being able to get to her.

Suddenly the corridor seemed stretch and Ginny and her attackers were getting further and further away from him.

"No! Ginny! Ginny!" He shouted as he beat at the invisible wall in front of him, watching helplessly as she grew further and further away from him.

Once the small group was out of sight the invisible wall mysteriously disappeared, and he ran forward as fast as he could to try and catch up.

Harry was confused when he saw nothing. Even as fast as he was running he still couldn't see them, couldn't even hear them, but he soon saw a corner and was sure they were right around it.

He turned sharply as he reached the corner, but stopped short in complete shock as he practically ran into a field of chaos. He was momentarily stunned to suddenly find himself in the Great Hall almost surrounded by mini battles going on all over the place.

He quickly shook himself out of it and went searching for Ginny, which was easier said than done as he navigated all the fighting. For once only defending himself as he passed instead of staying to help where he could.

"No!" He suddenly heard a shout, and he turned in that direction and finally spotted her; his Ginny.

Harry took off sprinting in her direction, but was suddenly grabbed around his neck by an arm. He didn't see any black cloth so he knew it wasn't a robed death eater that had him, and the person was too big to be a student. Beyond that anyone who knew him shouldn't be stopping him.

All this he realized in a matter of seconds and he quickly stunned the person from over his shoulder, and took off running again as soon as he felt them go slack.

He continued toward where he had heard the shout, and finally saw who Ginny was facing. His heart nearly stopped at the sight of Bellatrix Lestrange. He ran faster to try and reach Ginny and help her since she was alone, but the world around him seemed to slow suddenly and frustratingly.

A vivid sickly green light left Bellatrix' wand and he watched in horror, his feet pounding along the stone floor yet not moving any faster, as it sailed through the air; inching closer and closer to the woman he loved.

His eyes shifted to Ginny and he saw that she was dodging away, but he knew that she wouldn't make it. The spell was traveling too fast.

"No! Ginny!" Harry screamed, and her eyes moved away from the incoming spell and landed unerringly on him. Her gaze was soft, sad, and yet accepting.

Before he could do more than sadly return her look the spell struck her, and she crumbled to the ground. Only then did the world speed up again, and he was with her in a matter of seconds.

Harry dropped at her side and lifted her into arms as if he could help her, but he knew she was gone. Her limp body clearly told him that.

"No!" He screamed in helpless grief as he held his loves body.

---

Harry's eyes snapped open, his heart racing and tears streaming warmly from the corners of his eyes, as he lay in bed in the dark of his bedroom.

He moaned his sorrow and rolled onto his side, curling up, as his tears came harder and faster. The nightmare having done nothing but torture him with the reminder that Ginny was dead. His Ginny was gone, and she would never come back.

Although his eyes were closed his tears flowed freely, and he did nothing to stop them. He didn't even bother with wiping them away. There was no need to; there was no one there to see his tears, his grief. No one there to try to comfort him with useless words he didn't want to hear anyway.

He could still feel the weight of her sitting on his legs, her arms draped around his neck, and her fingers stroking through his hair. He could feel the silk of her hair against his fingers, the softness of her lips against his, and the soothing sound of her voice in his ear.

Harry moaned again, clutching at the blanket covering him, as his tears soaked into his pillow.

It wasn't fair! Ginny was supposed to live, to survive the war, so they could be together. They were supposed to be safe and free to do what they wanted without the threat of Voldemort around.

It had taken him a long time to allow himself to imagine what life would be like when he no longer had Voldemort after him. It was Ginny who had convinced him that it was okay to think about it, and that it would give him the strength to fight harder.

He had imagined them openly getting back together, because even though he had broken up with her they weren't really broken up. The kiss she had given him for his birthday before Bill and Fleur's wedding had proven that.

Their split was only so she would be as safe as possible since he couldn't bring her with him. If everyone thought they had broken up, including his closest friends, then Voldemort and his Death Eaters would believe it and not try to use her to get at him.

Once they were together they were supposed to continue where they left off and eventually he was going to ask her to marry him. They would go on with their lives and get married, and she was going to give him the family he had been missing since his parents died.

That imagined life had only been curtailed briefly when he learned he had been made into a horcrux and needed to die, but after he had decided to come back and live everything was back on track.

But she had not survived! She was gone! He was alone, and the life he had imagined having was nothing more than a fantasy!

Harry sniffled and panted with how hard he was crying, but he couldn't stop. The pain was intense. Sadness would come and go, anger would come and go, numbness would come and go, but when the pain came it was intense and shorter than the rest but felt like it lasted the longest.

He didn't know how long he lay in his bed crying his eyes out, but it was still dark when his tears finally slowed to a stop. He wiped his eyes and stared blankly at the wall before he reached for his wand and checked the time, and found that it was the middle of the night and he definitely wasn't going back to sleep.

He climbed out of his bed and headed for his bathroom; his wand still in hand. He walked in, flicking on the light, and looked in the mirror at his blue bloodshot eyes and pale face aside from around his eyes and nose.

He turned on the cold water tap and splashed the cool liquid on his face a few times before he turned the water off. He dried off his face, grabbed his wand, and turned the light off as he left the room.

Deciding he needed to distract his mind he turned to studying as he had been doing for weeks, and considering his dream he went to the library searching for ways to break barriers and wards. He quickly found that he needed knowledge in Ancient Runes, so he began to look for books on that subject.

Thankfully the textbook for Ancient Runes was there, a book he recognized from Ginny and Hermione taking the class, so he grabbed the book and sat in one of the comfortable chairs and began to read.

Time passed slowly and yet quickly to Harry, light gradually growing beyond the window as the morning grew later. He glanced to the closest window and idly wondered if he should start making himself breakfast, but it only took moments for him to decide he wasn't hungry.

Maybe later. He thought before he continued on with his reading.

When afternoon arrived Harry decided to pause his reading and go continue to work on learning Japanese. He showered and changed into some comfortable and casual clothes before he Apparated as close to Japantown as he could get without being seen.

He headed inside as usual and began to roam the plaza, his ears open to every conversation he could hear.

He saw a shop that sold traditional kimono and yukata, and he wondered how he would look in traditional Japanese clothes; if they would look right on him. He supposed it might be all about ones mentality. After all, he hadn't thought wizard robes would look good on him, but he thought he had looked well in them the pass few years.

Harry continued on his walk and passed by a jewelry shop and saw a great deal of gold and jade on display in the form of rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

He passed a hair salon, a store that sold incense, a flower shop, a spa, and paused to look at a restaurant he had been moving pass. It wouldn't have been special, but he saw that the chefs were cooking at the individual tables on flat smooth grills.

He had never seen that before, and thought it was very cool. He definitely wanted to try it, but there weren't many people he would want to try it with since it looked like you needed to be in a group.

Bill and Fleur came to mind, but he didn't know if they liked that type of food; even if they did cook things other than Japanese cuisines he didn't know if they would like going to a muggle restaurant.

He continued on his way after staring at the closest table and watching the chef do his thing, and stopped in at a bookstore that was two levels. The top floor sold a variety of books and magazines, and the bottom floor sold nothing but comic books and manga.

He took his time exploring the bottom, having not seen it before in his previous explorations. He saw that that level of the book store also had some memorabilia in shirts, posters, figurines, and other things from the most popular manga and anime.

After Harry had satisfied his curiosity he left and stopped at a bakery/pastry shop. He found himself hungry but not enough for a full meal. He sucked up his courage and tried out the language to place his order, and, judging by the smile and Japanese response from the employee, which he understood, he did well much to his pleasure.

He paid for and took his snack and ate in the open seating area of the plaza, and listened to the talking all around him as was his usual. When he finished he went back to his exploration and continued on for a couple of hours before he needed to leave.

He Apparated back home and went straight to the closest bathroom and pulled the Elder Wand from his pouch and changed his eyes to vibrant green and made his hair wilder. He replaced the wand and pulled out his prop glasses from the pouch and put them on as he made sure he looked like the Harry Potter everyone was used to.

The glamour was needed because he was going out to spend time with his friends having gotten an invitation a few days ago that was for all DA members.

Harry wasn't particularly looking forward to it, but he figured he should go to show support as a fellow DA member, and because it would be good to show his face. Many of the surviving members hadn't seen him since the war ended and others only saw him occasionally at Hogwarts since they were helping with the cleaning and repairs as well.

Once he was assured that his appearance was appropriate for who he would be around he Apparated to Diagon Alley, and made his way to the location the invitation had named.

It was a new place that had sprung up in the wake of the war called The Sorcerer's Spot. He thought the name was interesting, and he supposed he would see if the place was any good. At the moment he didn't even know if the place was a restaurant or a pub.

Going off the directions he had been given he walked down Horizont Alley, an alley he had never been through, and found it close to the entrance. The pub front was black and dark blue with large windows and two black wooden benches, each placed in front of one of the windows.

The hanging sign was the words 'Sorcerer's Spot' in blue with a black wizards hat placed on the first capital 'S', and an elaborate brown staff attached horizontally along the bottom of the letters as if they were resting on it.

Harry sighed and opened the door and found the interior to be a well-lit pub. There was a long bar counter with stool seats lining it, and there were tables everywhere; some that were high two seaters, some that were regular four seaters, and a few that were larger and obviously for groups, and people at a number of them.

He hummed quietly and walked further in, thankful there was no bell on the door like at the Leaky Cauldron, and was soon spotted by a couple of DA members that were already there.

He went over and greeted them and from there it went as he expected. He made the rounds, greeting and being greeted, and having short conversations here and there.

Everyone mostly talked about what they planned to do with themselves. Some were going to work, others being apprenticed, a couple were headed back to Hogwarts to finish their education, and the rest didn't know what to do.

As more DA members began to arrive the memories started to flow and everyone was exchanging stories about their time in the DA or their experience in the war.

By that time everyone he knew as more than an acquaintance was there. Neville, Luna, Ron, Hermione, George, Susan, Dean, Seamus, Lee, Parvati, Katie, Cho, Alicia, Hannah, and Angelina.

Harry eventually found himself sitting alone at the bar with a shot of Beetle Berry Whiskey sitting in front of him. Seamus had ordered it for him and told him to drink, loosen up, and have a good time.

He didn't particularly want to loosen up or have a good time, but he did want to drink. He was sure that if he drank enough it would eventually make him forget or numb his pain. Something that was closer to the surface after listening to so many war stories and sharing a few of his own.

However, his instincts were insistently telling him no, not to go down that path, and he decided to listen as he had been since the end of the war. He pushed it away without taking even one sip, because his instincts were right. He couldn't afford to get drunk; he had a lot of secrets to keep and he didn't need loose lips.

Instead he called to the bartender and ordered a Butterbeer. Within moments he had a cold bottle in front of him, and he thanked them before he took a long sip.

As he worked to push his pain behind his Occlumency shield, inside the dome in his mind, he turned away random girls that approached him and tried to flirt. None of them were DA members and were actually young women that worked in the alleys or were brought along by some DA members.

Unfortunately, the most recent one was a DA member, and should know better than to approach him; especially for the reason she was.

"Hey Harry." He heard a familiar voice and turned his head in time to see Cho Chang stop beside him. "What are you doing over here all by yourself?"

"Enjoying my butterbeer." Harry said in a deadpan tone.

"Why don't you come join me and my friends?" Cho said with a smile. "We can relax and have fun."

"No thanks. I'm good right here." He said before he took a sip of his drink.

"Well, how about I join you then?" She suggested softly. "We can catch up. We haven't had a chance to really talk at all since I got here."

That was on purpose. Harry thought as he took another sip of his drink.

He had greeted her like he did everyone when she arrived, but he hadn't been interested in spending any time with her. He had been avoiding such a thing since his disastrous date with her in his fifth year, and that wasn't going to change now just because he wasn't in a relationship.

"Another time Cho. I'm not really in the mood to socialize." He said with a light sigh.

"Oh come on Harry." Cho said as she stepped closer to him, nearly pressing her chest into his shoulder. "That's the point of this get together. We're here to socialize as you put it. I can show you how if you've forgotten with everything that's happened." She said as she ran her hand down his arm.

"No thanks." Harry said as he pushed her hand away.

"Oh don't be that way." She said poutingly. "We can talk about old times. You remember how much fun we had together right? We can do that again. I'm all for having fun with you Harry. Don't you want to have fun with me?" She asked suggestively as she placed her hand on his arm again.

Harry sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up slightly, as he tried mightily to push his anger and pain away. He could not believe what he was hearing. What was wrong with Cho?! How could she approach him knowing he had lost his girlfriend in the war?!

Just because she had tried to use him to move pass her grief after Cedric's death didn't mean he would do the same. They were not in Hogwarts anymore; they were adults now and should know better!

Well, he did, but apparently she didn't.

"Get off him!" He suddenly heard another familiar voice, and watched Neville appear and pull Cho away from him by her shoulder. "What's wrong with you Cho?! You of all people should know how he's feeling after losing Cedric the same way!"

"Go back to your friends and leave Harry alone. I'm sure the last thing he needs or wants is a one night stand or someone to come along trying to insert herself into his life now that he's a war hero on top of his already famous status!" Neville said, proving he knew what she was all about and shaming her in the process.

"Thanks Neville." Harry said as he watched Cho walk away with her head bowed slightly. Neville hadn't been talking quietly so everyone in the immediate area heard him.

"It's no problem." Neville said before he took a seat on the stool next to him. "She really should have known better, but then considering what I suspect she was after I doubt she cared."

"I think you're correct since I was thinking she was after the same thing." Harry replied as he looked to his friend. "While she was talking I was thinking she should know better since we're adults now; we're not in Hogwarts anymore."

"Yeah I remember your short time with her back in fifth year." Neville said with a slight smirk.

"So do I, and I was as uninterested in repeating it as I have been since then." Harry said as he shook his head. "I just wanted to come here, hangout a little, and try to relax."

"And instead you get Cho trying hookup with you." Neville said as he shook his head.

"True. Along with the other ones. She was just the only one that didn't back off when I said I wasn't interested." He said before he took a swallow of his drink. "Although, I will admit I did hangout as much as I wanted to with most everyone, and I relaxed a bit." He added with a shrug.

"That's better than nothing." Neville said before he asked the bartender for a Butterbeer. "I just wanted everyone to have a chance to hang out and do something different from whatever they had been doing since the war. I know I've been busy and needed a change of pace."

"I've been busy as well." Harry said, and then sighed. "I just figured it would be good to see everyone before we all get pulled into living life now that we're done with Hogwarts. At least I'm done with it."

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Neville agreed. "I'm done with it too. I took my N.E.W.T.s so I don't have to deal with it anymore. With how horrendous last year was sometimes studying was the only way to take my mind off of what was happening in the castle, so I was lucky in that regard."

"At least something good came out of that for you." Harry said as he nodded.

"I was lucky that was what worked to occupy my mind." Neville said, and then sighed. "So what have you been up to aside from helping at the castle and at the Ministry?"

"Well," Harry said before he briefly looked around. "don't tell Ron and Hermione, but I took my N.E.W.T.s as well. I just took them at the Ministry instead of at the castle."

"Why at the Ministry?" Neville asked curiously.

"No pressure, and to keep people out of my business about what I've been doing since the war aside from the obvious." He replied, and his friend nodded.

"And that included Ron and Hermione." Neville said.

"Yes." Harry answered instantly. "She's already asked me what I plan to do now that the war is over, and that I should go back to Hogwarts with her to finish my education. Ron has been quiet about wanting to know what my plans are, but I think that's because he thinks he doesn't have to ask; that I'll tell him."

"So what have you told them?" Neville asked.

"That I'm focusing on helping out at the Ministry and Hogwarts, and don't know what I plan on doing after that." He answered with a slight smirk, and Neville laughed quietly.

"And she's left you alone?" He asked.

"Yeah. Although, whenever I see her she tries to talk me into returning to Hogwarts with her." Harry said before he shook his head. "Truth is I haven't been spending a lot of time around them. They're a couple now, and I have zero interest in being around them when they start getting all..affectionate, which is all of the time. Plus, Ron has been angry with me."

"Why's that?" Neville asked with a frown before he took a drink of his butterbeer.

"It's the grief." Harry said with a shrug. "He gets these bursts of anger, but when I'm around he focuses it on me. I honestly don't know if his anger is toward me when I'm not around, and I haven't asked anyone. I've been minding my own business these days."

"Well, I'd stay away too." Neville said with a slight shrug. "Everyone grieves differently, but you don't need to stick around and have that directed at you; especially when you're grieving as well."

"I'm glad you understand." Harry said with a light smile. "Anyway, I've also been studying, continuing to learn magic beyond N.E.W.T.s. I figure it was something I should do with what I plan on doing."

"And what's that?" Neville asked curiously.

"I'm going to go traveling." He answered and watched Neville's eyes widen. "Yeah. I just…I need to get away. I need a change of scenery away from people who know me and have been a part of the war."

"I can understand that." Neville said as he nodded. "Are you just going to go wherever or do you have a single place in mind?"

"Wherever my feet take me." Harry said. He may be sharing, but he wasn't about to share his actual destination with anyone. "So what do you plan on doing with your N.E.W.T.s out of the way?"

"I'm actually going to go into Auror training." Neville said with a small smile.

"Really? I thought you would do something with your interest in Herbology." Harry asked. "But then I'm sure everyone thinks I'm the one who would go into Auror training."

"True on both accounts." Neville agreed. "Let's just say the final battle really showed me that I'm also good at Defense, and I think I would be good in that job."

Harry nodded understandingly. He had seen and heard of Neville's experiences, and thought he would be good as an Auror if that was really what he wanted to do.

"If that's what you want then I'm sure you'll do well, and I'm sure you'll figure out a way to use your skill in Herbology in the job while you're at it." He said with certainty.

"Thanks." Neville said gratefully. "I hope…" He began, but was cut off by a loud voice.

"I can't believe you!" They both heard Ron's voice nearly shout and they turned to look behind them to see Ron walking toward them with Hermione trying and failing to stop him.

Harry and Neville exchanged a wary look. It looked and sounded like Ron was drunk, and now they were going to have to deal with him.

"I saw you flirting with Cho! I can't believe how much you've changed since the war!" Ron continued. "It's like you don't care about anything anymore; especially since you moved out of the Burrow! Not about Fred or Ginny! You're not even emotional when you talk about them!"

"Clearly you didn't care about Ginny as much as you claimed to or rather pretended to!" He added angrily.

"I resent that!" Harry said quietly, offended. "I care about their deaths, and I loved Ginny, still love her, but I don't need to grieve in front of you personally to prove that. In fact, I don't need to prove anything to you at all!"

In that moment Harry remembered Ginny's words about not keeping friends just because they were first friends. He knew Ron was grieving and people said things they didn't mean when they were grieving, but this was entirely out of line and not the first time Ron had acted this way.

Alcohol couldn't even be blamed for all of it, because he had been acting similar toward him while being completely sober.

"I can't believe you didn't stop him from saying this nonsense!" Harry said as he looked to Hermione.

"I was trying to stop him from coming over here." Hermione said defensively. "But we did see you talking to Cho, and you didn't look like you minded her being next to you. In fact, you actually did look like you were flirting with her."

"When have you ever known me to flirt?!" Harry said incredulously. He didn't think he had even ever flirted with Ginny, and if he did he certainly didn't know it.

"Come on you two." Neville said wearily. "I saw the whole thing and Harry looked like he wanted to be left alone. He definitely wasn't flirting with her. She on the other hand was shameful enough to do it." He said in disgust.

"He was flirting with her!" Ron shouted. "And that just further proves how much he's changed! He's emotionless, and doesn't care about anything anymore!"

"If you want to believe that than go ahead. If that makes you feel better than good on you. That's your decision. I don't care." Harry said as he turned back to the bar and took a sip of his drink.

Instead of reacting angrily and causing a bigger scene he focused on pushing his feelings behind his Occlumency shield, and trying to relax the way he was before Ron came along with his belligerence.

~HPxXxMC~

Six months had passed since the end of the war and it was now only days away from Halloween. The day Harry had been branded with The Boy Who Lived title, and the day his adopted parents were killed.

Harry had long since received the results of his N.E.W.T.s, and he had been happy that he had gotten all passing grades of Exceeds Expectations and Outstanding.

Aside from that his eighteenth birthday had come and gone; regardless of if he went by his actual birthdate or by his adoption birthday. He had celebrated it quietly with some of the Weasley's: Bill, Fleur, George, and Mr. Weasley to be specific.

Mrs. Weasley was still grieving, Charlie was in Romania, Percy wasn't close enough to him, and Ron was still angry. Hermione hadn't come because she felt she needed to support Ron, which had told him all he needed to know when it came to their friendship, but she had sent him a gift.

Ginny's seventeenth birthday, meanwhile, wasn't celebrated when it came around. Everyone was too saddened by her loss, but he had gone to the Burrow in the early morning hours, to avoid disturbing and being disturbed, and left flowers on her grave and wished her a happy birthday.

Now with it being October Hermione was back at Hogwarts finishing up her last year, and he had decided he was comfortable and confident enough with his ability to use the Japanese language to begin his travel plans.

Harry had been thinking a lot about his wish to keep his travels private so he decided that the first thing he needed to do was cover his tracks from being able to be tracked magically.

This was simply because he wouldn't put it pass the reporters and even ministry workers to try and find him when he left; thinking to follow his travels and get pictures and information on how he was living after the war.

He had made an appointment to see his account manager Sharprod, and when they met he explained what he wanted to do, which was something he had heard vaguely when he was living with the Dursleys.

Thankfully Sharprod understood what he meant and informed him that Gringotts could perform the service. With that assurance he had his trust vault, the vault he had been using since he reentered the Wizarding World, closed, and all the galleons, sickles, and knuts inside converted into muggle money.

Sharprod then issued him a cashier's check that looked just like it would with any muggle bank. It was white with light gold lining and lettering with Gringotts' name and address on it, as well as the words: cashier's check at the top of it, the amount that the check was for, the date, and had Sharprod's signature on it as authorization.

Harry took that check and went to the muggle bank Barclays, and used it to open an account. Once everything was signed and in order he took out half the money from that account, and went to yet another back, Mizuho Bank, and opened an account under his birth name.

He didn't think any witch or wizard would be able to see what was happening in his Barclays account; just that he had it, so no one would know about the large amount of money that had gone to Mizuho Bank.

He figured with all this done if anyone checked they would think he would be using the Potter account to travel around the muggle way if anyone was able to see that his family vault wasn't being used. Meanwhile, in Japan he could go to one of the Mizuho Bank branches there using his birth name to withdrawal money as he needed it.

With both new accounts he made sure to get a debit card, and have no paper statements mailed to him so he didn't have to worry about that piling up when he was away.

After that he decided it was time to inform a few select people that he was going to be leaving in the near future, which is why he was currently walking through a hallway on the first level of the Ministry.

He soon reached the front office of the Minister for Magic and approached the secretary's desk.

"I have an appointment to see the Minister." Harry said quietly.

"Name please?" The male secretary asked without even looking up from his papers.

Harry wondered if he should inform the still fairly new Minister about his secretary's rudeness, but decided quickly that it wasn't his problem nor his business.

"Harry Potter." He answered, and watched the man's head snap up with a gasp.

"One moment please." The man said before he got up went to the elaborate door off to the side of his desk. He knocked and opened the door a moment later before he spoke quietly to the occupant.

"He will see you now." The man said as he waved him forward.

"Thank you." Harry said as he walked pass him and entered the office.

"Harry. It's good to see you." Kingsley Shacklebolt said with a smile as he waved him to a seat in front of the desk as the door closed.

Kingsley had been acting as the interim Minister directly after the war ended, and a couple of months after that he had been officially voted in as Minister for Magic. They had worked together for weeks to prosecute all the captured Death Eaters to make sure none got out of their rightful punishment like what happened after the last war.

Harry had helped in the preparation for the trails, reading witness statements from dozens and dozens of people as well as documenting his own, and then actually testifying during the trials. The trails themselves had happened back in August, so he thankfully didn't have to worry about it anymore.

"It's good to see you too." Harry said as he sat down with a sigh.

"So what brings you here?" Kingsley asked as he resumed his own seat.

"I wanted to let you know that I'm going traveling soon." He said readily. "I don't know when I'll be back, but I didn't want to just disappear on you without a word. I trust you to keep this to yourself, so I'm letting you know."

"Thank you for letting me know." Kingsley said gratefully. "I can't imagine the chaos that would likely ensue once it was learned you had left and no one knew when or why. Although, I imagine they would think you were just being a hermit since you're barely seen out as it is now."

"That could work for a while, but people would start to wonder when the weeks and months start passing without any sign of life." Harry replied.

"Are you really going to be gone that long? What about Auror training? I thought you wanted to be one." Kingsley asked with a slight frown.

"That year on the run and then the final battle was enough to let me know I'm not interested in the job anymore; not to mention I'm not in the right frame of mind for it." Harry said as he shook his head.

"And I have no idea how long I'll be gone. I just need to get away and…find myself and my purpose." He added with a heavy sigh. "The dreams I had of life after the war are no longer possible."

"Why is that?" Kingsley asked with a frown.

"They died with Ginny." Harry said flatly, proving that half a year later he still wasn't over her death.

"Ah. I'm sorry." Kingsley said as his expression cleared. "I don't know where my mind is right now."

"It's okay. I think only a few people realized how serious I was about her." Harry said, and then huffed slightly. "And only three of them are part of her family."

Kingsley shook his head at that. Even he had been able to see how serious the young man was about her. Even after their breakup. It was clear at the Weasley wedding, with the way he looked at her, that it was only temporary.

"Well, whenever you decide to go don't forget to get your passport." He said.

"Where can I get that?" Harry asked. He had known he needed to get his muggle passport, but he hadn't realized that witches and wizards needed passports too or even had them.

"The Department of Magical Transportation, and at Gringotts." Kingsley supplied the answer readily. "Personally I would get it from Gringotts, because they'll take their time registering it with the Ministry. That way you'll be long gone by the time any reporters got word of it."

"I'll do that; thanks." Harry said. "And thanks for the heads up. I didn't know I would need a magical passport. Didn't even know they existed."

"Yes. Most people don't find out until they're all packed and ready to go, and sometimes after they've already left and find out they have to check in at the foreign Ministry." Kingsley said as he shook his head. "Their vacation ruined as they're sent back home."

"Wow. That's terrible." Harry said as he imagined going through that. "I'm even more glad you told me."

"Anytime." Kingsley said.

"Well, I better go and let you get back to work." Harry said as he stood up. "I still have some people to inform, and apparently a visit with the Goblins."

"Alright." Kingsley said as he too stood up. "You take care of yourself Harry. Send me word when you're leaving or at least when you arrive at a location." He added as he shook his hand.

"I will." Harry said as he shook Kingsley's hand. "Stay safe, and don't stress out too much."

"You too Harry. You too." Kingsley said before he watched the young man who had saved their way of life walk to and out of his door.