Prologue:The war was over. Voldemort was dead. He was defeated by the boy who lived, the chosen one, the savior of the wizarding world. Those were a few of his many titles, they painted the picture of the face of resilience. In all reality, Harry Potter was merely a seventeen-year-old boy who had fumbled through the past seven years and this is the story about him getting through the next year to come.
The beginning
Harry's POV
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exited the griffins spiral staircase that led up to the headmaster's office. Harry stood in between his two friends as they walked down the Hogwarts halls, stepping aside the piles of rubble and attempting to ignore the occasional blood stains that lined the floor. Harrys took in a sharp breath when they passed a corridor that had been blown to bits, one of the walls having collapsed. Ron seemed to sway and Harry caught his arm to steady him. Hermione was biting her lip attempting to stop the tears that Harry knew she wanted to let out. They need to be strong for Ron. This was the place in which Fred Weasley had taken his last breath.
"He died laughing," Ron stated, barely above a whisper. His voice was thick with too many emotions for Harry to name. Both Harry and Hermionie remained silent, not knowing what to say.
Harry had lost many friends and family since he was born, but even after mourning more people than a child should have to, he could barely imagine what Ron was going through. When he mourned for his parents, he missed what he never had. When he had lost his godfather, he missed what he could have had, a family. He had mourned Cedric, but hadn't known him all that well. He had been upset about the fact that an innocent had had to die and that he, Harry, was responsible. Ron however was mourning a brother, a person he had known his whole life. A person who had made Ron laugh more than anyone. A Weasley. This was what gave Harry the unbearable pain he felt now. The pain that threatened to overtake him. The Weasleys had taken him into their home. Made him feel welcomed. Given him a family. And in return, he had gotten one of them killed. Harry's mind flashed to two years ago at grimmauld place. The sight of Molly's bogart taking the shape of the twin's lifeless body, but even then they were together. Now they were separated, it seemed so impossible that the twins could separate that Molly hadn't even feared it.
"We should go." Said Hermione's shaky voice, tearing Harry out of his thoughts. After one last glance at the hallway, the trio turned their back on the wreckage. "I reckon we should find your family Ron," Hermione told him gently.
"Probably in the great hall still," Ron muttered. They began to walk a familiar path to the wide doors.
As the three approached closer they could hear voices carrying from the open doors to the great hall. They heard the sounds of sobbing, of laughing, of the tinkling of forks on plates. As the three of them stepped into view however it went deathly silent. Then a thunderous applause broke loose and people began to hurry towards them, desperate to give them more unwanted thanks. However, before the mob could make it to them a loud bang caused everyone to stop mid-way. As they looked for what had made the sound Harry caught sight of Ginny's red hair. Her arm held in the air, her wand still smoking.
"Oi, what do you lot think you're doing! Do you think they want your thanks?! NO! They would much prefer to eat some bloody food and talk to people they actually know!!" Ginny yelled at the shocked crowd who stood early still, as though petrified. Most of the Hogwarts students retreated back to the tables, not wanting to get hit by Ginny's infamous bat-bogey hex. Adults from hogsmeade and elsewhere still stood in the hall, not moving any closer yet not retreating either. "For those too thick to have heard me the first time go sit down!" Ginny yelled with another blast of her wand and the remaining people began to scurry back to their table.
Ginny sat down at one of the long house tables normally occupied by Ravenclaws. She sat among a thick cluster of blazing red hair. Harry took a quick look at the great hall, realizing that the bodies of the fallen had been moved. He, Ron, and Hermione began walking towards the Weasleys. Subconsciously they took a seat in which the large door was in clear view. When Harry realized they had done this he nearly sighed. These instincts had kept him alive the past years, but still he hated when he did it without realizing. Had he lived a normal life. Had Tom Riddle been defeated before he was born, he would still be in this hall, but without the many burdens that weighed him down now. He would be sitting at the Gryffindor table, probably discussing lessons or quidditch. There would be laughter and smiles instead of the tears coursing down so many cheeks.
"Oh, Ron, Harry, Hermione!" Miss Weasley came hurrying over to their side of the table. She gave tight hugs to his two friends sitting to the left of him before turning to face Harry. He tensed expecting her to blame him for Fred's death, but the blow didn't come. Instead he was wrapped in a tight hug. Miss Weasley returned to her place at the table; in between Ginny and Mr. Weasly. A house elf hurried over, placing gold plates filled with food in front of the three. Hermionie eyed the house elf, but chose not to say anything, turning her attention to the food. Although the trio had not eaten in 24 hours they had little appetite, which was saying something for Ron. Picking up his fork Harry scooted the potatoes around his plates nibbling on the end of one, Ron and Hermione were doing the same. As Harry looked up from his plate of food he realized the Weasley family, excluding Ron, was staring at the three of them, their eyebrows raised as though trying to solve a puzzle. Breaking the tension that was beginning to hang over them, Bill said
"Ah Harry, Ron, Hermione. There seems to be a little commotion going on at gringotts." Ron and Hermione's heads darted upwards quickly, their reaction surprising many of the Weasleys. Continuing Bill said, "They seem to believe you three broke into Bealitrix Lestrange's vault and then rode a dragon out of it." Harry quickly looked around the table, the only people near were Neviel, Dean, and Seamus all staring at the trio. They quickly looked away when they caught Harry's eye. When none of the three denied it, Bill's eyebrows shot up so high they were hidden in his red hair.
"Blimey, a dragon! What type? How were they treating it? What'd you do with it?" Charlie asked quickly.
"I'd much rather know why they were breaking into gringotts in the first place?" Mr. Weasley said calmly.
"Yes, I'd quite like to know that myself." Mrs. Weasley said sharper than her husband. The Weasley family looked at Harry expectantly. Harry however turned to Ron and Hermione, his eyebrows raised posing the question about what they should say. To the weasley family's amusement the three seemed to be having a non verbal discussion, filled with head shakes and shoulder shrugs. With a final jerk of the head Ron nodded to his family.
"Well," Started Harry softly, not wanting to be heard, "We needed to get something."
"Figured that much out ourselves." George scoffed, talking for the first time since they had sat down not bothering to keep his voice down. Harry eyed George, his eyes were puffy and red. He seemed to be lopsided without his other twin, unbalanced. Apprehensively Hermione told the expectant red heads,
"We needed it to defeat Voldemort." Mrs Wealsey, Charlie, and Percy all flinched at the name, Harry had trouble not rolling his eyes.
"But-" Bill started
"Are we staying at Hogwarts tonight?" Hermione asked, in attempts to end the previous discussion.
"Oh," started Mr. Weasley, surprised at the change of conversation, "Yes at least for tonight. We're not sure if it's safe to go back to the burrow yet." The trio nodded their heads, continuing to play with their food. As Harry was pretending to eat some chicken, he couldn't help but to spare a glance at Ginny. Theirs eyes locked, Harry didn't dare blink. Ginny began to open her mouth, but was cut off as Madam Pomfrey came bustling their way.
"You three need to be examined." She glared at them for not coming to see her earlier.
"You mean to say you haven't been checked" Mrs Weasley scolded.
"I'm fine, no need to waste your time." Harry said exasperatedly. He hoped Ron and Hermione understood that he didn't feel like being poked and prodded just yet. They seemed to get the message.
"we really are fine, just need some rest." Ron said. Harry watched as her eyes roamed over the three. Being honest with himself they really didn't look fine. Their clothes had both dirt and blood stains, Ron had a gash on the side of his head and Hermiones shirt was torn at the sleeve revealing a cut there. Both still had burn marks from Gringots He had no idea how he looked, but suspected it was similar.
"We'll come to the hospital wing tomorrow, I have some Dittany we can use to fix up some of our cuts aswell." Hermione told madam Pomfrey. The witch didn't look like she was going to give in as she opened her mouth to speak. She was cut off by Ron.
"We're going to bed, we really just need some rest ." Ron told his family, ending the conversation abruptly. The Weasley family looked taken aback by the authority in Rons voice.
"I figure you're going up to our old common room, your beds are all still there. You can use mine Hermione. If you want, that is, I'm sleeping at Grans tonight." Neville told them, evidently listening in to the conversation.
"Thanks Neville , I think I will." Hermione said with a slight smile. Harry was glad, he wasn't quite ready to be separated from Ron and Hermionie yet.
"I don't know if that's appropriate Hermione? You sharing a room with the boys?" Miss Weasley asked, a smile on her face that didn't match her tone of voice, her eyes darted down to Ron and Hermiones hands intertwined.
"I've been sharing a tent with these two for over eight months and nothing happened Miss Weasley. Were just…" Hermionie didn't finish her sentence letting it hang in the air.
"We're not ready to be apart yet. The last few times we've left each other-" Harry refrained from shuddering as he remembered Ron leaving them in the tent, Malfoy Manor when Hermione was taken and his walk to the forest. He continued "They weren't good. I promise you Hermione and Ron weren't a thing when we were sharing the tent. They only started snogging, at the worst possible time I may add, a couple hours ago." Rons ears turned pink and he ducked his head, Hermione's face turned scarlet and she wacked Harry with her beaded bag. Filled to the brim with books and clothing, and even a picture it hit harry with a 'thunk'.
"Ouch!" harry let out
"You deserve it! What if I told them who you were snogging last year?" Hermione looked at him with mock anger.
"You'd never!" Harry exclaimed with a slight smile, but in the back of his mind he was a little frightened about how the Weasleys would react to Harry being with the youngest Weasley child. If they were even still together, Harry thought morbidly.
"Ok we're heading up to the common room." Ron told the group as he let out a large yawn and ignoring madam Pomfreys attempts of checking them, the three began the long walk towards the Gryffindor tower.
As they marched up the many stairs, careful to step over the trip ones, they began to feel the adrenaline leave their systems. Leaning on each other for support they finally arrived at the fat lady's portrait. Harry let out a soft moan.
"We don't know the password. Please let us in." Harry begged. The fat lady pursed her lips before swinging open the door. As the trio blundered into the empty room the fat lady said,
"Thank you Potter." Harry didn't need to ask 'what for' as she swung close. Ron eyed the stairs warily.
"I don't know if I can make it up any more stairs. My legs are bloody tired!" Ron said as he fell onto one of the red couches.
"Maybe just a quick rest here." Hermione said as she sat by Ron. Harry taking the position on Rons other side yawned before saying,
"Maybe a bit longer than quick." The other two let out a light chuckle, before their eyes closed shut. Smiling at his two best friends, Harry followed suit and let his eyes droop down.
AN: Well there it goes my first ever FanFiction writing! Please review, both positive and negative feed back is welcome! If you enjoyed it don't worry, the story's just beginning. I will try to update once or twice a week. Did you think this chapter was too short, I wasn't sure how long it should be?
