Harry dared not open his eyes.
There was warmth and softness surrounding him, and he briefly wondered if he had died. Was this heaven? Perhaps he was in the bed that should have been, and he would open his eyes to see his mother kissing him goodnight. Or was he still on the ice desert, awaiting death?
Harry blinked awake and found that it was none of these things. He was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Hedwig, facing away from him on a perch, turned her head a full three-hundred and sixty degrees to examine him with her large gold eyes, before fluttering down onto his chest and brushing his face lovingly with her wings.
"She's one of the smartest, that one!" a familiar voice next to Harry said.
Harry turned to face the warm face of Albus Dumbledore "If it weren't for her, I'm not sure if we would have found you!"
Hedwig fluffed herself proudly.
"Professor Dumbledore..." Harry began, but did not know where to go from there.
"Harry, dear boy, you are the strongest of the strong. You defeated the Dark Lord, just as I knew you could." Dumbledore smiled.
"How...How did I do it? Why Me?" Harry asked, as brief flashes of the previous events began to come together in his mind.
"It was, as far as I could tell, a defeat that can be credited only to love and fate, Harry." Dumbledore replied. "Your parents loved you, and fate picked YOU to be the one who would end the fright. I'm not sure if even I could have done what you did".
Harry did not feel proud, or even happy. Harry felt only the desire to be normal, for things to return to the way they should be, the way they were the first time he ever set foot into Hogwarts.
"Is Voldemort gone forever? And the Death-eaters? What became of them?" Harry inquired.
"Voldemort's army is now in Azkaban. The death eaters were defeated by the Aurors, the Ministry, and most of all, your friends. They were eager to help you, Harry. They believed so strongly in you that they were willing to sacrifice everything, and some of them did." Dumbledore paused here, and seemed to hesitate before continuing "And as for your first question, Voldemort is indeed gone forever. You have killed him. That does not mean that the idea of Voldemort is gone, though. Evil will always be brewing somewhere, Harry, and there will always be people like you, Harry, who have the strength and power to defeat them."
Harry stared at Dumbledore, not sure of what to say. Dumbledore smiled and patted his shoulder.
There was a sudden clamor from the opposite side of the wing, and harry suddenly saw a flash of red bursting through the doors to the wing. "Harry!" Fred Weasley shouted, being the first to approach him. He embraced Harry not as if he were a hero, but a brother. Fred was followed quickly by George, Percy, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, and even Charlie and Bill. Harry embraced the crew gleefully as they showered him with cookies and gifts.
"And this one, Harry, when somebody eats it they sprout a tail..."
"Give him some space. Harry dear, are you warm enough?"
"Harry, you are amazing. The ministry wants to know all about it."
"And this one explodes when-"
"Where's Ron?" Harry inquired.
The Weasleys suddenly became quiet. Fred and George looked at the ground and shuffled their feet. Percy's clenched his jaw and made a fist. Bill and Charlie looked at him with sad expressions in their eyes, and Mr. Weasley placed his arm around Mrs. Weasley as tears began to trickle down her face.
"Where's Ron?" Harry asked as is he already knew the answer. His eyes, too, became clouded with tears.
"Harry, Honey," Mrs. Weasley said softly "Ron passed away."
Harry could not hold back. The tears came, and he reached out, as if he were a tiny vulnerable baby, for comfort. The whole Weasley family embraced him and joined in his mourning.
"He should have never been there! He died for me! He should have not been there!" Harry moaned.
"Don't feel guilty, Harry" Mr. Weasly said "Ron gave his life for a greater good. Voldemort and the death-eaters are gone forever, and he played a major role in that!"
"He...He should not have been there!" Harry repeated.
"There, there, Harry." Fred said, pulling him into a tight hug. It's been hard for all of us, but the last thing you can do is blame yourself, especially when you are the one who defeated you-know-who!"
"I'm not a hero!" Harry murmured between tears, and the Weasleys just drew in nearer to him, and held him closer. Together they all mourned, and celebrated.
Loss and Victory. It was a vicious cycle.
There was warmth and softness surrounding him, and he briefly wondered if he had died. Was this heaven? Perhaps he was in the bed that should have been, and he would open his eyes to see his mother kissing him goodnight. Or was he still on the ice desert, awaiting death?
Harry blinked awake and found that it was none of these things. He was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Hedwig, facing away from him on a perch, turned her head a full three-hundred and sixty degrees to examine him with her large gold eyes, before fluttering down onto his chest and brushing his face lovingly with her wings.
"She's one of the smartest, that one!" a familiar voice next to Harry said.
Harry turned to face the warm face of Albus Dumbledore "If it weren't for her, I'm not sure if we would have found you!"
Hedwig fluffed herself proudly.
"Professor Dumbledore..." Harry began, but did not know where to go from there.
"Harry, dear boy, you are the strongest of the strong. You defeated the Dark Lord, just as I knew you could." Dumbledore smiled.
"How...How did I do it? Why Me?" Harry asked, as brief flashes of the previous events began to come together in his mind.
"It was, as far as I could tell, a defeat that can be credited only to love and fate, Harry." Dumbledore replied. "Your parents loved you, and fate picked YOU to be the one who would end the fright. I'm not sure if even I could have done what you did".
Harry did not feel proud, or even happy. Harry felt only the desire to be normal, for things to return to the way they should be, the way they were the first time he ever set foot into Hogwarts.
"Is Voldemort gone forever? And the Death-eaters? What became of them?" Harry inquired.
"Voldemort's army is now in Azkaban. The death eaters were defeated by the Aurors, the Ministry, and most of all, your friends. They were eager to help you, Harry. They believed so strongly in you that they were willing to sacrifice everything, and some of them did." Dumbledore paused here, and seemed to hesitate before continuing "And as for your first question, Voldemort is indeed gone forever. You have killed him. That does not mean that the idea of Voldemort is gone, though. Evil will always be brewing somewhere, Harry, and there will always be people like you, Harry, who have the strength and power to defeat them."
Harry stared at Dumbledore, not sure of what to say. Dumbledore smiled and patted his shoulder.
There was a sudden clamor from the opposite side of the wing, and harry suddenly saw a flash of red bursting through the doors to the wing. "Harry!" Fred Weasley shouted, being the first to approach him. He embraced Harry not as if he were a hero, but a brother. Fred was followed quickly by George, Percy, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, and even Charlie and Bill. Harry embraced the crew gleefully as they showered him with cookies and gifts.
"And this one, Harry, when somebody eats it they sprout a tail..."
"Give him some space. Harry dear, are you warm enough?"
"Harry, you are amazing. The ministry wants to know all about it."
"And this one explodes when-"
"Where's Ron?" Harry inquired.
The Weasleys suddenly became quiet. Fred and George looked at the ground and shuffled their feet. Percy's clenched his jaw and made a fist. Bill and Charlie looked at him with sad expressions in their eyes, and Mr. Weasley placed his arm around Mrs. Weasley as tears began to trickle down her face.
"Where's Ron?" Harry asked as is he already knew the answer. His eyes, too, became clouded with tears.
"Harry, Honey," Mrs. Weasley said softly "Ron passed away."
Harry could not hold back. The tears came, and he reached out, as if he were a tiny vulnerable baby, for comfort. The whole Weasley family embraced him and joined in his mourning.
"He should have never been there! He died for me! He should have not been there!" Harry moaned.
"Don't feel guilty, Harry" Mr. Weasly said "Ron gave his life for a greater good. Voldemort and the death-eaters are gone forever, and he played a major role in that!"
"He...He should not have been there!" Harry repeated.
"There, there, Harry." Fred said, pulling him into a tight hug. It's been hard for all of us, but the last thing you can do is blame yourself, especially when you are the one who defeated you-know-who!"
"I'm not a hero!" Harry murmured between tears, and the Weasleys just drew in nearer to him, and held him closer. Together they all mourned, and celebrated.
Loss and Victory. It was a vicious cycle.
