I'd just like to apologise for the last chapter, I was trying to fix some errors and ended up forgetting about editing the chapter itself. No excuses for that but to assurge my concience, I'll upload this one slightly early.

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Folly of the Fallen

10 May 1998

Harry woke with a pounding headache. The light streaming in from the huge window opposite his bed was blinding him. He wondered how he got to bed seeing as he couldn't remember a thing after he found the portrait of his parents in the study. Magic I suppose. He grumbled to himself. He almost fell out of bed and stumbled toward the shower.

After vaguely returning to the land of the living he made the long trek down to the kitchen for breakfast. When entered the room Teemy appeared at his side. "Would sir like some coffee and a hangover potion?"

"Yes please, hangover potion?"

"It relieves the symptoms sir."

He rubbed his head. "If it'll help, sure."

"Right away sir." The elf hurried into the next room and Harry staggered into one of the chairs at the table and stared out the window. Maybe I'll explore the garden today. He was about the fall asleep at the table when the elf reappeared holding a smoking Goblet. "Here, drink this sir." And he did so without thinking, it burnt his throat but as soon as it faded he started feeling better instantly. When he finished that the elf put two mugs on the table, they looked like coffee and water. "Make sure to drink these both sir. Are you up to having food?"

"Thanks Teemy but not yet. I'll let you know if I do need some." The elf nodded and disappeared. Leaving him to think, he thought about this party he was going to have and who to invite. Without really thinking he said. "Accio Pencil and Paper." And to his surprise, both things landed on the table in front of him. He would come up with a list as he sipped his muggle potions of water and coffee.

Hermione

Dan and Jane

The Weasley's

Andi and Teddy

Minerva

Kingsley

Luna

Neville & Augusta

Hagrid

(maybe)

Seamus

Dean

Parvarti and Padma

Lavender

With a pang, he remembered each person who he couldn't invite to anything anymore. Some of the best people he knew never made it to the end. Shrugging off the wave of guilt and greif he looked at the paper on the table. The list looked ok to him, but how was he going to invite everyone? After thinking for a moment, he had the answer.

...

11 May 1998

The day was clear, a slight breeze rustled the trees of the forest. It had been a sombre day so far, and if the mood at the Burrow was any indication. It wouldn't get much better now.

Harry sat in his chair in the front row avoiding eye contact with everyone. He was reminded of Dumbledore's funeral as he looked at the long row of caskets on the stage in from of him. Off to his right was a small statue at the top of some stairs, not far from the tree he had fallen asleep under after hearing of the old man's treachery. Now one of the few places he could forget about being Harry Potter was tainted with a visual representation of the guilt that weighed heavily on him. Sometimes he envied Tom Riddle and the way he didn't care about people, it was just too much for him to care about so many people. And so many of them had fallen, he was the marked one, why did these people have to die?

Why did they fight with me? Having little regard for their own life was something that had been natural to Harry. He had only lived for one reason, and that reason was now dead. That's why he went back. He might have died to protect everyone but he only refused seeing his parents again because he knew nothing else but to fight Voldemort. The old man had brought him up well for the task. He would gladly sacrifice himself to kill Tom, but sacrificing others irked him. As much as he knew he could not fight off the hundreds of Deatheaters, scum and dark creatures by himself. The irrational part of his brain screamed at his mistake, that was not struggling alone in his battle against evil.

Kingsley's deep voice broke him from his thoughts. "I am not here today as Minister for Magic. I am not even here as someone who took part in the Battle. I am here as someone who lost a part of themselves that day, as we all did. Those parts of each of us now lost, lie before us, content. Content in the fact that their sacrifice was not in vain, they helped rid the world of yet more evil. A memorial to immortalise their service to humanity stands to your right. You're welcome to leave tokens after the service is finished."

"Now I must speak as the Minister for Magic for a moment. I thank every person that fought the evil that day. Evil that the Ministry failed to protect you from. As such, I take sole responsibility for the loss that you all suffered. We have to be better, and I will work tirelessly toward this goal."

"Now I ask the congregation for a minute of silence to honour the fallen." The Hundreds of Witches, Wizards and Muggles alike fell silent. Harry could hear his heart beating madly, but he couldn't lose control here.

Kingsley looked up. "Thank you. Now I ask everyone to raise their wands to the sky." He could hear the rustling of wands being drawn from cloaks and bags as he copied them, the tips of the wands glowed white. Slowly a beam of light surrounded the caskets extending to the sky. The light obscured the dead further until they couldn't be seen any longer, when the light faded, they were gone. Harry lowered his wand as the congregation rose, some chatting, others moving to the memorial near the lake.

Harry stayed in his chair. There was no way in hell he would join them, looking at all the names of the people he lead to their deaths. At least he could see Hogwarts Castle from here. Happiness creeped into a corner of his brain when he thought back to repairing it. All of his supposed power went to something he was actually proud of, not killing people.

"Hey mate." Harry recognised that voice, he turned.

"Hey. How are you?"

Ron scratched his chin. "I'll get better." He sat in the vacant chair beside Harry. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said in the tent. I was just so scared for my family and now that Fred's... Let's just say I understand you better now."

"Thanks mate. You coming to mine after?"

Ron brightened. "Of course! I'm as curious as everyone else. I never knew the place existed, dad might have but he never told us."

"Just promise me something."

"Of course."

"Try and figure out what's going on with you and Mione tonight yeah? She's got he parents back now so it's the best time to work on it."

He looked confused. "She does?"

Harry was confused to until her remembered that Ron wasn't with them. "Oh yeah. We went and found them in Australia, they all got back a couple days ago. In fact, they're coming tonight."

Ron instantly look nervous. "Really?"

"It's about time you met them properly. They're good people, just be polite and honest."

"Aye, thanks Harry."

"No problem, just try not to fight constantly ok?"

He grinned. "I'll try"

"Go and say hi. I'll try find McGonagall." As Ron got up and disappeared into the crowd Harry looked around, trying to spy the Headmistress. While he didn't see her, he saw someone else moving through the crowd towards him. He groaned internally. Rita. For fucks sake, now? He couldn't be bothered to run away so he waited for the inevitable.

"Hi Harry!" She simpered. "It's been a while since I've been able to interview you."

"Best time of my life." He replied coldly.

Her expression didn't change. "But now I've got you, mind answering a few questions?"

"If you leave that green quill in your bag." The look of surprise on her face made him smile.

"It's good to know you realise just how much the Wizarding World need to hear from you."

Harry crossed his arms. "Get on with it Rita, there's no broom cupboard for us this time."

"My my Harry. Are you flirting with me?" He smiled, taking perverse please in putting her on the back foot.

"Who knows. Now, ask your questions."

She withdrew a while Quill and balanced it on her notepad. "How do you feel about the service?"

"It's sad of course. But they died for a noble cause, I'm in their debt. Kingsley handled it well."

"So you endorse Shacklebolt as Minister?"

"Of course I do. He was here at the Final Battle and he's a good man."

"Hmm. What have you been up to since the victory?

"That's none of your business Rita."

"But there's rumours that you stayed in the castle afterwards."

"And? I had no home to go back to."

"Is that why you fixed the Castle?"

"What do you mean by that?"

She waved a hand towards the Castle. "It was miraculously repaired not even a week afterwards."

Harry snorted. "What, and you think that I fixed it? It's impossible for one man Rita."

"Well you did defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"He was hit by his own rebounding curse. That doesn't make me powerful enough to repair a whole Castle."

She put her Quill and Pad back in her bag. "Thank you Harry."

"Good, I'll see you in five years?"

She chuckled. "You wish Mr. Potter." And she moved away. He sighed, it was hard to keep up the facade. Something he would have to keep up tonight as well, if he was going to fix Ron and Hermione relationship. He'd promised to himself that he owed her, if he owed her happiness, then he wouldn't stop until she was. He walked away from the gathering towards the Castle, it was over. Everything he needed to do, was done. Now? He had to move forward. His brain struggled to come up with a plan and paid no attention to his feet.

...

Harry leant on the railing looking out over the grounds, it was cooler up at the Astronomy Tower's height but he barely noticed. And something was annoying him, stuck in his subconscious. Every Idea for a future he had unknown variables, normally he would ask Hermione but she wasn't there to answer them. It struck him just how clueless he was, how often her help was necessary for him to make decisions. I... I need her? His chest started to tighten as his realisation on the beach came back to him. I love her and... I need her but... She's never shown the slightest inkling of liking me more than a friend. He sighed. She wants Ron. Jealously consumed him once more. He'd always been jealous of Ron for having such a large family but that went for anyone he knew that had a loving family.

What irked him now was how Hermione would choose Ron over him. He'd seen it too late to do anything about it. Now, he'd have to find his own way, for the first time without either of them at his side. A Scottish edged voice interrupted him. "Everyone's gone home Harry."

"Sorry Minerva, I'll head home." He turned to head back down the stairs until she stopped him.

"Not after you tell me what's on your mind Potter."

He turned to her. "Just thinking about the future I guess. I want my NEWTS, but... I don't want to come back here."

"Understandable. You could find tutors and take your NEWTS overseas, they conduct examinations at the ICW in France. It's not unheard of for people to take their NEWTS after they leave school, or after home tutoring."

He was again, surprised about how little he knew about the world. "That sounds great. But where can I find Tutors?"

"If you like I can find some for you, after teaching for so long I have some contacts. I shall look for subjects that fill the requirements for becoming an Auror?"

"I'm not sure what I want to do yet."

She inspected him. "I look for a wider variety of subjects then. I'll owl you with a list."

"Thanks Minerva. Mind if I use the floo to get home?" She waved him out.

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Now we're getting somewhere! ;)