Harry went to sleep, feeling more tired than he had ever been. The battle was over and Voldemort was defeated. He laid down on the familiar bed in the Gryffindor dormitory. Ron was also making his way up the stairs to sleep and somehow Dean, Seamus and Neville had all found their way back here for this night. Harry felt a strange pang of nostalgia, as sharing a room with these four seemed like a lifetime ago. Yet here they were. Despite Harry being exhausted past human capabilities, he did not find sleep quickly. He was happy his mates had known him long enough they didn't want to prod him with questions. To them he was 'just Harry', and that was alright, they were all tired and prepared for bed in silence. As he was waiting for sleep to find him, he listened to the shuffling and voices in the common room downstairs. Several members of the order were conjuring beds and blankets for anyone that did not have the energy or will to return home today. Someone was bringing around soup too, a familiar voice which sounded like the redhead he had missed so much. Her voice faded away as she made her way through the common room, and Harry's consciousness finally faded into black.
Harry slept better than he had in months, perhaps even years. He woke as the first rays of sunshine were coming through the window. He found his clothes washed and folded at the end of his bed. Despite all the perils the house elves had gone through, they were still working as hard as ever. Harry gratefully slipped into his pants and shirt, appreciating how crisp they felt and how fresh they smelled. The other guys were still sleeping. He carefully made his way through the common room, disarranged with sleeping people in hastily set-up beds. Here and there people were quietly waking up, but no one was talking. Harry spotted Ginny asleep folded in an armchair across the room and part of him wanted to go up to her. Checking her name on the map so often, just having her in his sight was enough, for now. There was too much grief and rebuilding to do and he decided he would wait. There was still too much going on, too many pieces to pick up. Too many scars to heal. So he walked past her and the many sleeping forms and slowly made it down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
He was relieved to spot the familiar brown bush of hair at the Gryffindor table. It was still reasonably calm, considering it was quite early. He made his way over to her and joined beside her, looking over the many dishes, suddenly realising he was famished.
"Good morning," he told Hermione, who looked up and smiled at him.
"You're up early," she simply noted. He neglected to give any reply. They had learned to live in comfortable silence and they did not need to keep a conversation. Harry reached for toast and the butter, spreading it generously over the piece of bread. Then he loaded eggs, bacon and sausages on his plate until it couldn't hold any more food. He bit into his toast eagerly when he caught Hermione's eye.
"What?" he said through a mouthful of toast.
"You have so much food on your plate, you're putting even Ron's appetite to shame," Hermione told him. He shrugged.
"Don't take this the wrong way, 'Mione. Your cooking skills are good, but I really missed the Hogwarts food and I feel like I haven't eaten in days," he explained, scooping a mouthful of egg.
"Well, once you're back at The Burrow, we'll make sure you eat well, you could certainly use more meat on your bones," a familiar voice said. Harry spun around and spotted Mr and Mrs Weasley making their way up to them. They sat down across from him. She was right, Harry had never been chubby by any standard, but the lack of proper food and the constant stress surely had its effect on him. Harry happily thought of all the good and plentiful food Mrs Weasley made and the cosy, ever busy home the Weasleys lived in. He almost agreed but stopped himself. He was an adult now, it was about time he looked after himself. He wouldn't wish to burden them further, owing them far too much already. Additionally they were mourning the loss of Fred and Harry wanted to allow them all the space to do it. And so he politely declined the offer.
"Don't be silly, Harry," Mrs Weasley said firmly, "you are more than welcome to stay with us."
"I think I'll find a room in the Leaky Cauldron for the time being," Harry said, the idea popping in his head just now. He took a sip of tea and looked at Mrs Weasley and to his surprise saw tears brimming in her eyes. Did he say something wrong?
"We've already lost so much," she said, her voice full of emotion, tears threatening to spill, "I don't want to lose a grasp on you either." Realisation hit and he understood he could never be a burden to them. Despite her many kids, she still needed to mother any child in her sight, especially now. To her, he was still the lost scrawny looking kid on platform 9¾. Harry may never admit it and certainly didn't realise now that he needed the nurturing mothering care as much as Mrs Weasley needed to provide it. He complied.
"Of course I'll come," he said with a warming smile. There were still tears in her eyes but she was smiling now too, turning her attention to Hermione.
"You should come too, of course, dear," she said. Mr Weasley squeezed his wife's hand to comfort her and she leaned into him subconsciously.
Hermione beamed back, "I'd be happy to."
That was of course logical. Hermione had not only kept their son and Harry alive for months, she was now more or less dating Ron, surely she'd be more than welcome at The Burrow. His stay was far less logical. He had let Ron down on more than one occasion, pulling Hermione and Ron apart from each other. He had very briefly dated their only daughter just to break her heart and had done nothing to amend it. On top of that they had lost their son, something that could have been avoided if Harry had only moved quicker. He was certain both Hermione and Ron bore no hostility towards him, but that didn't mean he deserved it. Mr and Mrs Weasley had every right to shield their family from him, and yet they invited him without reservations. Most of all Ginny had every reason to be angry with him. To force her to stay within the same house as him was unfair, she should be allowed space in her own home, to recover, to be with her family, free from his presence and any pain that came along with it. He could not decline his stay, but he promised himself he would keep his distance from her as long as he stayed there, it was only fair to her.
He had barely finished that thought when about a hundred owls came flying in carrying the newspaper. Now free from Voldemort's grip, the Daily Prophet was back to its normal reporting and Harry almost wished it wasn't. Looking as an owl flew over, he spotted himself staring back at him. A giant picture of him was featured on the frontpage and about on every page after. He sighed as he grabbed one of them and started to read. The first article was just a recount of the battle and final defeat. It was dramatised but it was bearable to read. The next was a much harder read. A retelling of Harry's whole life story up until now, with heavy guesswork, outrageous claims of his love life and awful jabs at Sirius. Harry frowned, fuming internally. Hermione pulled the paper out of his hands, folded it up and put it out of reach.
"There's no use, Harry. Just eat your breakfast," she said. Mrs Weasley smiled endearingly.
"We are going to go home and get things ready," Mr Weasley said, after all they too hadn't been there since they went into hiding.
"I expect all of you there by supper," Mrs Weasley said in a tone that didn't leave any room for an argument, "they will be setting up portkeys later today, take one of those together."
Harry simply nodded, eager to leave the Great Hall. Though he was not reading the paper, the few people already awake certainly were and he felt their eyes on his back. As more people were seeping in, he shovelled the last of his breakfast and took his leave in search of fresh air.
As Ron entered the Great Hall he saw Harry brush past him. Bewildered, he walked over to Hermione, who gave him a smile that warmed him to his core.
"What's with him?" he asked, to which Hermione slid the paper to Ron.
"Oh." Ron quickly skimmed through the paper but decided it was not worth his time.
"You look beautiful," he said in an attempt to flatter her, ears red. Having more scrapes and bruises than Hermione could ever remember, she let out an honest laugh.
"Thanks, Ron," she said, planting a kiss on his cheek which turned his ears even redder. Ron could be awkward when it came to love, but he had good intentions.
Harry walked out onto the grounds, feeling frustrated. He stopped abruptly when he noticed how much warmer it was outside and how unbelievably clear the cerulean blue sky was. He took a few breaths and felt the anger fade slightly. In search of a distraction he made his way to the quidditch pitch. He grabbed the first broom he could find and hopped on it and zoomed off into the sky. He enjoyed the wind on his face and made a few laps around the field until he had sufficiently calmed down and he felt like he could breathe again.
When he went to put away his broom, he heard footsteps and as he turned around he spotted her.
"Gin," he said, her old nickname still familiar in his mouth, rolling off his tongue before he had even realised it. Part of him wanted to walk up to her and hold her in his arms and kiss her passionately, but he remembered his promise to himself and didn't move.
"I was about to go," he clarified and stepped around her, her flowery scent lingering in his nose long after he had left the room. He shook his head to free his mind of her and made his way back to the Gryffindor common room.
Most of the Weasley children made it outside to travel home by portkey. Bill and Fleur had already returned home and would come by for dinner. George had disappeared to Diagon Alley and no one had the heart to stop him and just hoped he would join later. Charlie, Percy, Ron, Ginny as well as Hermione and Harry grabbed onto an old bicycle wheel. Within seconds they were pulled from the ground and planted firmly on the ground in front of The Burrow. It may have been vacant until only a few hours before but The Burrow seemed to be brimming with life and magic. Harry felt a sense of home as he walked into the house behind the Weasleys. Everyone went upstairs to put away their stuff. Hermione took off with Ginny and Harry followed Ron to his room. A strange feeling came over Harry as everything still seemed to be the same. Books were scattered in the corner of the room and a lot of mess was lying around. It looked just about right. From the corner of his eye he saw Crookshanks slip by. Slowly he was starting to feel as though things were going 'back to normal', though it was hard to pinpoint exactly what that was. Before too long they were called down for dinner and they all hurried downstairs, bumping into each other in their rush to get to the kitchen first. Bill and Fleur were back and George too had come back for dinner. Harry heard Mrs Weasley ask for him to stay at The Burrow for at least a few days. He agreed but explained he wanted to have the shop back up and running as soon as possible.
"I'd be happy to help you out for a while," Harry offered, he might be staying at The Burrow but he was planning on making himself scarce.
"Thanks, I'll let you know, " George weakly smiled. With that they joined the table for dinner. Mrs Weasley had certainly outdone herself being able to cook for everyone again. The table was loaded with food which smelled delicious and everyone was eager to dig in.
Mr Weasley stood up and raised his glass.
"I just want to say how proud I am of all my children. And Hermione and Harry of course. As well as those who are no longer with us." To that everyone raised their glass. Harry could feel tears prickling in his eyes and rapidly blinked them away. Everyone silently dug into the food.