Strange as it may seem, I would probably be the first to tell you- there's no way to bring back the dead.

Dead is Dead.

Yes, famous, oh so privileged Harry Potter, believes that when someone's dead, they're dead.

Sure, there was the Philosopher's Stone, for immortality, and Matholwch's cauldron.

But my father's still dead.

So is Ginny.

So is Dumbledore.

I wondered- we all wondered- why the cauldron had disappeared. And I eventually found out.

*** Lily entered her son's room to find him staring out of the window, expression blank.

"Harry..."

No answer.

"Harry!"

He snapped out of his reverie, and looked up at her. "Sorry."

She sat down on the bed beside him. "Harry, do you ever wonder why the cauldron disappeared?"

"Everyday..." He answered dryly without looking towards her.

"Harry, you remember the story... It's how you found out about the cauldron. What did Matholwch use it for?"

"To replenish his army during the war that was started to save Brigid."

"Right. Not a very good cause was it?"

Harry shook his head.

"And what did you use it for?"

"To bring Hermione back. So... What's the difference... Both completely selfish reasons..."

"No Harry, they're not. Did you even bother to read the runes on the cauldron?"

"No, I was a little busy trying to chose between my girlfriend, or one of my parents!" He said bitterly, looking away.

"Harry, you're being worst than Sirius! I'm not going to let you wallow in self-pity for the rest of the summer. You're being ridiculous!"

"Hmmm..." He answered, still not looking at her.

"You know why that cauldron disappeared Harry? It disappeared because it was finally used for what it was supposed to be used for! For Love, Harry. All things have a purpose. It fulfilled its purpose. Matholwch used it for no other reason than to kill and maim, even if it was to keep his trophy wife. You used it for a good reason. To bring someone back that had never deserved to die, that still had a full life ahead of them, that was missed, and that people couldn't live without. And I'm sorry if you still feel guilty because you chose Hermione over me, or your father, or because you couldn't save Ginny, or Albus, and well... There's nothing anyone can do about that except you. But trust me- you did the right thing. The fact that the cauldron's gone proves it."***

Seems almost- not fair. Cauldron gets to bail out when the going get tough, the rest of us are stuck here to deal with it.

Well, I guess that's life.

Dumbledore said, if there's anyone who deserves a second chance, it's me. And, somewhere in the back of my mind, I believe him.

I desperately want to.

I never asked for any of this. I never asked to be famous, to grow up in a cupboard, with no parents, to be the target of a dangerous dark wizard for the majority of my life.

I never asked to be the hero.

Guess the fates aren't really thinking about what I asked for, are they?

And I also know... Somewhere in the back of my mind... None of this is my fault. That I shouldn't be guilty. I don't want to be.

But even I can't convince myself; Hermione and my mother can't...

The last weeks of school were the most difficult days I've ever been through. The whole school was dark... Dank... Depressing. Even cheery Professor Sprout was without a smile, Dobby even seemed to have no energy for once.

All of the school, except for my closest Gryffindor friends and a select few of the faculty, gave me a wide berth, which really made it so much worst.

But Hermione was my rock.

I really don't know what I'd do without her. Ever since that first kiss, since I gave her the ring, it- I don't know. It feels like I physically ache when she's away... But it's a good ache.

I need a good one, don't I?

Things have a weird way of working out, don't they? I mean, look at me... To put it in the words of Draco Malfoy, Poor little orphan Potter, seems to have it okay now.

I have a family.

A place to really call home.

I still have Ron, and Hermione, and all of my other friends, people who have always been there.

Yet I still- I don't know.

I'm still in shock.

There's an expression, I think I first heard it at the Dursleys... Maybe Uncle Vernon was yelling it or something...

It's not over 'til it's over.

Is it over? It doesn't feel like it. Because I still ache, I still hurt.

I'm still missing something.

It can't be something concrete... I have almost everything I could want.

I think its piece of mind.

Come to think of it, I think I'm just damn paranoid. I'm going to end up being one of those old, miserable men, who are constantly looking over there shoulder because someone's always watching... Maybe I'll end up like Mad-Eye Moody.

That is, if I live to be an old man.

Though, it does seem that that's definitely a possibility. It used to be that no one knew if I'd see my next year at Hogwarts.

According to Trelawney, I should have been six feet under a good half a decade ago.

I guess I have good luck...

It's definitely weird though, living with my mum, and Des, and Remus. Having always wondered what it would be like to have siblings, Des is definitely like a little sister... And of course, having mum around is a definite plus.

It seems so strange when I look at her, because- when she thinks no one is looking, she gets this look on her face, kind of wistful... And I know she misses my dad. Yet she also seems so happy here... And, she seems to think it's her job to make everyone else happy too.

Of course, she immediately forced Remus out of his small flat in London and into our house (He had absolutely no say in that...) I think, part of the reason for that was because she needed someone there with her, to reminisce, just to remember.

Then, she went to work with Sirius. I don't know what she said to him... I remember hearing them having a shouting match one day, in the den upstairs... But before, I remember, every time someone would mention the name Pettigrew, he would scowl, and curse... But now, I think he finally accepted it. He doesn't seem so bitter anymore, and Sirius seems a lot happier now... As well as the fact that he does have Arabella.

But what really got me... The look on my mother's face after she had visited the Longbottoms in St. Mungo's... I know she had spent more than a few hours poring over books, trying to find a spell- any spell, druid or otherwise- that would help, but nothing came up. She had looked so defeated.

All of them- Sirius, Arabella, Remus, and mom- have all told me stories about their school days, some of the group's most glorious and entertaining pranks, gossip from back then, and all sorts of other memories... I know that the whole group was really close. But there is still one thing that I never understood.

Why did Voldemort go after all of them?

*** "So yeah..." Sirius continued through the laughter in the room. "The Mistletoe floated over Severus for the whole week, and the spell forced him to kiss any girl, Professors included, that came within ten feet of him. A good one, even though it was Dylan came up with it."

"Oh, come off it Sirius, you guys weren't the only ones good at pulling pranks off. Dylan and Frank came up with a lot of good ones..." Arabella said.

Lily nodded in agreement. "It was just the Marauders that always got caught."

Harry rolled his eyes. They were sitting in the den upstairs, the adults just telling stories. They often came up here, just to talk, sometimes, inviting Harry, other times just closing themselves up in there, and Harry respected their privacy. But when they did let him up there, he was always sent into fits of laughter of another one of the group's pranks.

But there was still one thing he really wanted to know... So he finally stuck up the courage to ask.

"Mum..."

"Yea?"

"I just have one question... If you don't want to answer it, fine, or if you can't... But- I don't understand. So many things happened to your group. Just you guys. Why was Voldemort targeting you all?"

Lily was quiet for a while, but had a thoughtful look on her face, obviously thinking about how to answer the question.

"We were dangerous..." She finally said. "In our seventh year, The first Voldemort War had just reached it's peak- and the Auror academy was desperate for more people in it's ranks, because the Death Eaters were getting too numerous, more daring and dangerous."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "Dumbledore fought it for the longest time, but he finally let the chief of the academy do a sort of recruitment at the school- but it was more like a plea. They basically begged all of the seventh years, even some of the sixth years, to start Auror training, even while they were still in school."

"Of course..." Remus added. "No one really wanted to. It's the most dangerous job you can take in he wizarding world-"

"Other than being me..." Harry added.

Sirius shook his head. "No kidding. Anyways... After the chief of the Academy left, Dumbledore gathered a bunch of us together, and explained what we'd really be doing as Aurors, unlike the Chief, who just told us 'we'd be doing a great service to the magical community'. As you can expect, a lot of people then refused."

"But you guys didn't."

"Actually, we didn't exactly say yes at first." Arabella said. "But we discussed it as a group later- we knew the risks, but we couldn't really just sit back and do nothing. By that time, James' father and mother, your grandparents, Harry, had already been killed, as well as Tara's older brother and sister... just because they were part of a prominent wizard family, that's been around for years... and even more people were getting targeted."

"So you guys all became Aurors..."

"Well- we all went through the training. But we were never officially part of the Auror Academy. That's because Dumbledore had a better Idea of what to do with us."

"The whole group of us had grown up together... For nearly seven years we spent almost everyday with each other. We knew each other like the back of our hands. So Dumbledore had us set up our own division. We answered to him, not the Auror Academy, though we worked with them all the time. We were Albus' operatives, his spies in a way."

"Even Peter?" Harry asked.

Remus shrugged. "It was weird with Peter. I mean, he was our friend, part of the Marauders, but he was never really part of the group, with everyone else. He did work with us... The fact that he was a rat in his animagus form was a great help, but eventually, he quit working with us. He never really had a huge big part in any of our important operations... He had no logical thinking for one thing. We all just thought he was worried, chickening out."

"Apparently not..." Sirius said, and Lily shot him a glare.

"So what? Did Voldemort find out about you guys and just start picking you off, one by one?"

"Hmm... Well, we did manage to get a lot of very valuable information... And he eventually found out. Peter might have fed it to him, or someone else, we don't know."

"I know the Longbottoms were Aurors... How come the rest of you aren't?"

"We were all forced into hiding." Lily said. "James and I used the Fidelius charm, the others found other ways. Those of us that were left that is. We kept working after Tara was killed, even after Carly and Dylan... But then it got too dangerous. So..."

"After your mum and dad died," Arabella said. "And Sirius was put in Azkaban, There weren't really many of us left, was there? Me, Remus, and the Longbottoms. We were all burnt out, tired of it... With Peter's "death" and Sirius- betraying his best friends... We couldn't really believe it at first. We kind of just- lost our spirits then... But it did seem like the worst was over. I mean- Voldemort was- for all intents and purposes- gone. There were the Death Eaters left, but they really didn't need us. So Remus and I quit. I went to live with my mother for a while... I even went to visit you sometimes Harry, when your family wasn't home. Then I went travelling. Remus did too."

"But Frank and Krista... They wouldn't quit." Remus said. "We tried so hard to stop them, telling them that they'd done enough... They could still be targets... But of course, they didn't listen. All of us are terribly stubborn... They were officially enrolled into the Auror Academy and worked for them until their accident."

Harry nodded. "But I still have one more question. If you guys were some of the best operatives, how did the fact that Pettigrew was a Death Eater manage to evade you... Shouldn't you have been able to figure it out?"

Lily shook her head. "We don't know..."***

I'd always wondered. Always had dreams of the reasons my parents were killed... That they were heroes, out saving the world. I guess I was kind of right, in a way.

So life continues as normal, as normal as my life ever gets. My whirlwind romance with Hermione continues... Even though to me, it doesn't seem like it was whirlwind at all... I've always loved her, I think. My mother, well she's found her own solace, missing my dad, I know.

Apparently, they did date at Hogwarts, before my mom ever considered touching my dad... Seems ironic now.

Some one once said,

You don't have to be in love with someone to love them.

I know, with all my closest friends, I love them. Ron, the twins, Dean and Seamus. And I have no doubt that my parents had that with all their friends, if not even deeper.

So that's why I'm not mad about my mom and Remus, or feel betrayed for my father. They love each other... Not like my mom loved my father, or, as Remus loved Tara, but they have something together- and I can't help but respect that. When I see them together, they're so calm, completely unlike me and Hermione, but they know each other inside out- and they make each other happy.

So like I said... Life goes on. I'm still learning to use my Druid powers, and they're becoming more and more helpful everyday, I hang out with family, my friends...

I cry.

Whether it's my fault, or not, something my mind is still working on, I cry. I'm not ashamed to admit it, nor do I see anything wrong with it.

Whether I helped kill them, or not,

Cedric Diggory.

Ginny Weasley.

Albus Dumbledore.

James Potter.

They're all worth the tears.

They've all taught me something, helped me see who I am. Cedric, what bravery really is, Ginny, friendship, loyalty... Dumbledore, to really believe in myself. And my father- he gave me his legacy.

Go raibh maith agat.

********************************************************************************

*tear* *sniff* That's Gwynedd's Den, all finished... My baby... My long-overdue project... finished... Finis... Finito... criochnaithe...

This is the final Chapter, dedicated to my friend Victoria. I luv you hun, thanx for your criticism (whether I was ready for it or not, or whether I ever even needed it...) Happy Birthday!!!! Here's part of your present, but I promise to bring you something else tomorrow... LoL

Kirky... For some reason, the way I've written Hermione in this story, her personality traits and all that, when she's happy (does that happen very often in this story? Between her being dead... And everyone else pushing up flowers...) she just reminds me of you. Always the voice reason... But you end up ignoring yourself even sometimes... wacky people like me and Tash can do that to you, can't it? LoL... this chapter is for you too...

And now... the tribute to my reviewers:

Vicki: Yes I know I can't spell worth shit! Sorry, okay? Always really good, or really bad, huh?
Kirky-muffin: What can I say... This is MY twisted mind... and my druggie muse... GET ME CHAPTER 3 OF YUR STORY!!
Melissa: Thanks for the compliment, I'll e-mail you more of my stuff.
Dana: wow! Four Hours for me? Thank you!
Hecuba: Thanks for being honest... damn typos! Thx
Jacks: bring back James? Too corny and cliched... not my style.
Amy Potter: A sequel... I hope so... But you know, my muse rules all...
Goldensnitchgirl: yeah... I cried writing some parts... thanks...
Hermione1909: wow! The greatest fic... you obviously haven't read much... I sure ain't that close to the top...
Sissy: I can leave you like that... And I did. Cliffies are the foundation of fanfiction.. can't do nuthin' 'bout it... I hate them when I read too... but what can you do?
Oonagh: Thanks, the Celtic mythology was originally supposed to play a bigger part... oh well...
Nightfall: One of my most faithful reviewers! Thanx... hope u didn't use up too much kleenex
Dark Sorceress: I guess I'm a thorn in your side then, aren't I? I'm just plain mean. I'm sorry, but the story goes as the story goes. Thanks for your numerous reviews.
Child of Fantasy: Sorry, don't have a home page... but I'm glad you enjoyed Gwynedd's Den!
Arkaynn: Swim meet @ Hogwarts? Sound like fun... Good idea... I've thought of it, I'm actually going to do it in another fanfic I'm writing, w/ my friends, under the penname Dancstashjessky. Harry Potter and The Prophesy of Postero Cassus... check it out!
The Marauders minus one ( I think it was Remus... LoL, not sure...) I'm a busy chick, what can I say? I got it up as soon as I could... I hope you weren't too bored.
Sandry Granger: It is long, isn't it? I'm glad u enjoy!
Diana Joy: Original? Of course... I have a one of a kind mind... LoL
Alisha: Yes, I have put a lot of work into this... kind of weird, the fact that it's done... :(
Amethyst: I love thunderstorms too! Anyways... Thanks for the review, and I forgive you for not reviewing all the chapters...
Chris: I'm glad you found it!! Sorry, I wasn't much help to you... And I'm sorry I never e-mailed you that chapter...
Cassandra Lynn: Illegal to have other than H/H? I agree... Thanx 4 DA review!
Mina: Cute? This story is cute? Well.. it didn't stay that way for long...
Baby: ccccoooollll? Thank You!
Dracona" You love the entire fic? Wow! Some one who doesn't mind all my typos.... (See Victoria!!!)
Ozzy: Thanx....
Skittles25: The best? *blushes* not quite. I love hanging by a moment too... makes a great fanfic song...
Star Fish: Thx!
Pool: sorry... Hermione didn't walk again... until she died! Does wonders for whatever's wrong with you! LoL
Hermione87: I moved you! Wow... then you mustn't be very heavy...
Llwagore: U didn't read, just wanted to tell me I'm painfully obvious? Well, thank you, I already knew that, and if you didn't read, that's your loss...
Blue Sky: I'm honored to be on your favs... thank you.
Julia Fileata: If your writing a story with Celtic Mythology, I'd love to see it... And of course you're not ripping me off? Who wants my crappy plot lines....
Christa T. Kithic: I finished it! Yea!
eibhinn eonach: hope you got some stories posted alright... thanx for the reviews... and hey- Freak of nature are cool!
Dauphin: Now it's done. Sequel? I'm thinking about it... But it'll be a while, I'm a writing a bunch of other major stuff right now.
Kim: Cliffies are my signature!
Angelmouse: There you go! More!
Kiara Ananda: I'm glad u like!
Nick: Thanks!
Lucinda: You think it's good? Wow, thanks!
Leida: Sorry I made you wait.
Rose Black: Hidden World was good, huh?
GinnyFairy: Interesting? In some ways...
Kath: All the spells I made up are in Irish... not Latin. Sorry to be confusing.
Awel: Thanks for correcting me.
Kammie: Thanks!
Sara_Lou: The Mythology is rather interesting, huh?
Meg Loves Harry: I hope you got a chance to finish it...
Erica: I've only left a story unfinished once... Trust me!
Me!: I'm glad u like.
Carrie: Gaelic is hard.. I'm trying to lean too...

So that's all of you!!!!! Thanx, and to all the people that didn't review (You lazy sods!!! LoL)

Thank You!!!! This has been fun, but I gotta go, I leave you with one last sentence!

Go raibh maith agat.

(Thank You in Gaelic!)

~Danie

P.S. I'm working on a revised version- it will be posted @ Fiction Alley and FF.net Check it out!