It was a crisp morning in June that greeted Harry as he made down the stairs to prepare breakfast. It had been another sleepless night the night before, as Harry's thoughts again drifted to the dead. After quickly making a coffee, Harry plopped himself on the throne-like chair at the main dining table of Grimmauld's place.

"Kreacher, could you get my mail?"

With a pop, the old elf handed Harry a stack of envelopes with his gnarled hands. "Yes Master". Kreacher then bowed, and disappeared with another slight pop.

Sipping the coffee with one hand, Harry quickly sifted through the yellowed envelopes, and grimaced as the hot coffee slightly burnt his tongue. Today's correspondence seemed quite normal- the majority consisted of the usual fare of love letters, requests for interviews, and advertisements for the shops that were beginning to open in the aftermath of the war. Focusing now on the special letters, he first disarmed a booby-trapped letter with a flick of his wand. Then there was a letter from Hermione that updated Harry on her trip to Australia to find her parents. He smiled. Hermione seemed to have returned to her usual self after the war the fastest, and was now on track to serve as one of youngest ministry officials. Tacked onto her letter that rambled about the magical community in Australia and their magical koalas was Ron's short and messy script that also expressed his regards. Pocketing their letter, he cut open the last letter that was embossed with the Hogwarts seal.

12 Grimmauld Place,

Islington, London

To: Harry James Potter, Order of Merlin First Class

Dear Harry,

I write to you today with regards to the condition of Hogwarts after the final battle with Voldemort. Although it has been a month since the battle, our elves and professors have been hard at work with repairing the damage done to the castle. However, for Hogwarts to reopen to the new class of students in September, we found it imperative to enlist the help of others in the repairing of Hogwarts over the summer. We thus extend our invitation for you, along with your Hogwarts classmates, to aid us in the reparation of the castle. Accommodations and housing are provided free of charge, although there is no obligation to stay at the castle once work finishes. We will also be compensating you for your time and effort if you do so desire.

Warm Regards,

Headmistress McGonagall

Putting the letter down, Harry stroked his chin. On one hand, he mused, going back would mean that he would be reminded of that fateful day where his classmates' broken bodies were plastered across the Great Hall in a grotesque landscape of red. He still vividly remembered the bloodied mouth of Terry Boot stuffed with his own intestines after Rodolphus Lestrange hit Terry with an organ expulsion curse. Lavender Brown's body was discovered in the courtyard, face mauled until it was a bloody splatter when she tried to defend two first years against Fenrir Greyback. He broke out of his reverie, and sighed deeply. Although others filled the streets, celebrating the downfall of Voldemort, he just couldn't forget. Not with what he had seen and sacrificed. On the other hand, however, perhaps he could come to terms with their deaths by returning, and rebuilding their collective home for seven complete years. Prior to her departure, Hermione had urged him to find a hobby or an activity to take his mind off the war. And she was right. He had spent the majority of the past month outside of the Wizengamot and Gringotts brooding while he should have been utilizing his power and acclaim to rebuild the Wizarding World from its ashes. Perhaps rebuilding Hogwarts could be a start.

Having finished his coffee, Harry placed both letters in his study and flooed out.

—-

"Morning Tom" Harry called to the bartender of the Leaky Cauldron as the floo roared to life and he stepped out.

"Morning Harry, how have you been?" Tom asked, looking up from his bar.

"It's been good, at least there haven't been any Wizengamot meetings recently. If I have to listen in on another 3 hour debate about cauldron diameter regulations, I swear I'll just renounce my seats", Harry said as he grimaced.

"That bad, huh." Tom replied. "You know what, the next round's on me if you find time to drop by."

Harry smiled slightly. At least Tom was still his old self. "I'll definitely take you up on that, but I've got to visit a lawyer today, and then go make dinner for Teddy and Andromeda."

"See you then", Tom said as he turned back to his work and Harry stepped onto the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley, although a shadow of its vibrant and bustling self before Voldemort, was beginning to recover. Shops were no longer boarded up, and a few shoppers were milling about some of the open establishments, some buying groceries and others shopping for clothes. Harry stepped past the main row of shops, and turned into a more discreet side alley, coming to a stop to a sign on which was etched "Elsevier's and Partners". Ringing the bell thrice, Harry waited on the doorstep for a minute and was about to leave when the door opened. Standing in the doorframe was a young woman with platinum blonde hair, a slight scowl on her full lips and electric blue eyes that betrayed her annoyance with Harry's disturbance.

"As I said, we're not…Potter?" Greengrass asked, her expression of annoyance quickly morphing to an expression of curiosity.

"Daphne?... er I mean Greengrass?" Potter replied, similarly bewildered. "I thought this was Sophia MacLaurin's law firm?"

'That's my mother." Greengrass curtly responded. "She passed away a few weeks ago from Death Eater injuries."

"I'm sorry." Harry looked down. "I'm truly sorry for your loss."

Greengrass sighed. "If you came here, might as well come in. I'll make some tea." She then beckoned Harry to follow her into the office.

The inside of the office was elegant but modest. A floor-to-ceiling bookshelf occupied the wall behind a mahogany desk, which was littered with papers and only decorated with a single framed picture. In the corner, boxes were stacked in a neat pile. Harry took the chair opposite to the desk while Daphne started boiling water for the tea with a quick Incendio.

Without turning to Harry, Daphne spoke. "If you were looking for legal services, sadly, I have no idea about law. That was my mother's expertise. The most I can do is to recommend similar firms to visit based on your needs."

"I'm looking for an attorney to advise me on criminal matters", Harry replied, suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by Greengrass.

"Well, I can recommend Elsevier down the street and to the left, and possibly Simon and Partners a few blocks from Diagon Alley." Greengrass said, plopping down onto the chair across from Harry. "So I see you've finally stopped moping and decided to do your duty."

Harry was taken aback by the sudden burst of hostility. "My…duty?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Don't give me that look, Potter. You knew that as the poster boy for our Victory, you had to act the part in rebuilding this. And yet, you shunned the spotlight. You shunned even the Minister when he attempted to bring you to accept your Order of Merlin. You were wallowing in self-despair, and now people like Nott are reclaiming their positions of power!" Greengrass heatedly exclaimed.

Harry sat shell-shocked, his untouched tea rapidly cooling in the office. He knew Greengrass was right. He should've come out and used his newfound power to support the ousting of key Voldemort supporters. He should've presented a figure for the Wizarding World to rally around instead of retreating into his own home and his own thoughts. But while others such as Hermione and Kingsley danced around the topic, meeting with Greengrass was the first time he felt the reality of his actions slap him across the face.

Greengrass' piercing eyes looked away, and she sighed. "I know you're a good person, Potter," she continued. "It's just that it's not only you who lost someone that day. I lost my best friend Tracy and my mother in that battle. I know that my mother and Tracy would never forgive me if I sat around sulking about their deaths rather than preventing these tragedies in the future. I guess that's why I'm so disappointed."

Harry had managed to find his voice back. "I know" he replied softly, guilt and shame washing over him. "I know."

After a few moments of silence, Greengrass spoke. "It's been a great reunion, but I do have to get back to work. You can stay…"

"No, no, I'll go." Harry hastily replied. "Thank you for having me."

Greengrass nodded, and turned back to her sheaf of documents on the table. After draining the remnants of his tea, Harry hastily stood. As he reached the door, he looked back to Greengrass. Just then was he able to discern the deep bags under her eyes and a scar that was barely peeking out from the neck of her blouse. Tearing his eyes from Greengrass, he strode out onto the streets of Diagon Alley again.

—-

It was a little past ten when he returned to 12 Grimmauld Place after visiting Teddy and Andromeda. Stumbling out of the floo, he dusted himself off and picked up the letters that he had put earlier today on his desk. He brushed his finger on the Hogwarts seal, feeling its familiar ridges against his skin. He sighed deeply. Visiting Teddy was a stark reminder of what he had to protect. And he knew that Remus and Tonks would never forgive him if he didn't at least attempt to make Teddy's world a safer one than what they had experienced. Daphne's words echoed in his mind. It's not only you who lost someone that day. Conjuring a quill, he penned a short letter.

Dear Headmistress McGonagall,

I will come.

Best,

Harry Potter

Calling for his new owl, he tied the letter to her claws and sent her flying into the summer night. It was time to answer the call, and be the Boy-Who-Lived, now Man-Who-Conquered, for those that needed him.

A/N: This is my first time publishing a story, so any views or comments are welcome! I'll do my best at reading and incorporating your advice into my writing going forwards. E.P.