Disclaimer In chapter 1

A/N This is the last chapter. It has been a pleasure writing for you guys, and I look forward to doing so in the future. In response to Firebreath - YES YES YES! GO FOR IT!

okay then, on with the story

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Return

Harry was in the Gryffindor Common Room when Ron burst through the portrait hole nearly a week after Voldemort had left the castle.

"They're here!" he exclaimed. "They're coming back! Come see!" And he left before Harry could respond.

Groaning, Harry rolled off of the couch in front of the fire and set his book on the table. He wandered over to the window and looked out.

Students were flooding in through the gates. Definitely tired and scared, but alive and happy. Professor McGonagall was leading a troupe of first years with the aid of a cane. Hagrid was striding towards his cabin, Fang right at his heels. Tiny Professor Flitwick was leading some Ravenclaws while conversing with Professor Vector. Harry even saw Firenze and Professor Trelawny pause to marvel at the beauty of the castle they had gone so long without seeing.

The castle was whole once more, having healed itself over the course of three days. A good cleaning had left Harry with the feeling that no one had lived there except the rightful Hogwarts students and Professors for the past 9 months. The house-elfs were eagerly working for Dumbledore again. They had never left the castle; their allegiance had been to Hogwarts and it's students, and so they had served the Death Eaters all the while, keeping out of sight behind suits of armor and in dark corners.

"Dobby made sure to send cold soup up to the Slytherin table once, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby told Harry one day when he had gone to visit the kitchens. Dobby then laughed nervously, his enormous eyes darting around the room.

Hermione had spent most of her time reacquanting herself with the Hogwarts Library of late. She took note that there was no longer a Restricted Section, and took advantage of this by swiping a Defense Against the Dark Arts book for Aurors in-training one day when no one was looking. She then gave Harry the book in private, telling him he might want to learn the Advanced Shield Charm.

Ron had spent a lot of time walking the Hogwarts grounds with Ginny in tow. It turned out that Percy had helped Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hide for the last few months, and that the fight was over. Percy still wouldn't be moving back in with his family, but he had made it clear to everyone that he regretted his mistake, and told them all that he would be attending family holidays once more. Apparently Ron wasn't buying any of it; the letter Percy had sent to him warning Ron about Harry was still on his mind.

Lavander and Parvati disappeared often into their dormitory. Hermione had told Harry and Ron that they were trying on all of the robes they had left behind, putting on a sort of fasion show in their room.

Seamus and Dean were to be seen playing Exploding Snap or Gobstones in the Great Hall on a regular basis. Ron once challenged them to a game of Wizards Chess, playing for a few Chocolate Frogs, trick wands, and Skiving Snackboxes. Ron beat them horribly.

Neville was hardly seen anymore. Harry saw him once, walking three times past a wall on the seventh floor opposite a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by three trolls. Harry never asked him what appeared in the Room of Requirement when he entered, and considered it a private matter to be delt with by Neville.

And as for Harry, he had spent a lot of time on his own. Sometimes he took his Firebolt out to fly around the field, and sometimes he locked himself in his dormitory, sitting quietly on his bed, looking through his photo album.

Seeing those people returning to Hogwarts after so long affected Harry somehow. It made him feel that merely taking someone's home could not destroy them. Life went on, homeless or not.

The Ministry of Magic was still under Voldemort's control, and would be until the Ministry could regroup and attempt to regain possession of it, much as they had Hogwarts. Harry had a feeling that the battle for the Ministry of Magic wouldn't be quite as successful as the battle for Hogwarts, but the outcome was yet to be seen.

Harry saw Cho enter the gates, walking alone, her eyes turned towards her feet. He wondered why her friends were still not surrounding her. Behind Cho, looking as merry as ever, was Luna Lovegood, looking as though she were taking a stroll through the park. It was strange how even the most traumatic events could not dampen her spirits.

A noise behind Harry made him wheel around. It was Hermione entering through the portrait hole, Crookshanks clutched in her arms. The cat, it turned out, had been lurking around the grounds. He had made a reappearance a few days ago, dirty and underfed, but glad to see his owner back.

"I've been watching from the corridor window," she informed him.

Harry gave a weak sort-of nod and turned back around. He felt her presence beside him.

"I met with Dumbledore this morning. He told me there will be a memorial service tonight to honor those lost. He wanted to know if you'd like to say a few words about Sirius."

Harry kept his eyes focused on the line of trees that led to the Forbidden Forest. "It doesn't matter what I'd say," he said slowly. "They still wouldn't understand."

Hermione had the courtesy to leave him alone with his thoughts. He wasn't sure whether he wanted her to stay or not, but before he could consider his options, the portrait hole had clicked shut. His eyes were still trained on the Forbidden Forest. Draco Malfoy's body had been recovered not long after the battle. His mother, who, apparently, had never been a Death Eater, came and collected his body shortly, and left.

Snape's body had been removed from the castle. Harry didn't know where it had ended up, but did know that he did miss his Potions Master in an odd sort of way. He may have loathed the man, but without him, Harry would have died.

Harry saw Dumbledore striding across the grounds towards the gates, and saw him shake hands with a hunched figure with a grizzly long mane of hair and wooden leg. He then shook hands with a woman with bubble gum pink hair, and then a man with grey-flecked hair and a tired face.

Harry felt a sense of pride whenever he saw members of the Order of the Phoenix. He didn't quite know why, but it felt almost as if they were knights in shining armor, coming to save the world.

Harry let out a deep breath he wasn't aware he had been holding, and leaned most of his weight on the sill. The sun was going down, casting a pink glow on the world.

Another day was done, and a new one was about to begin, just as the battle for Hogwarts had just ended, and the battle for the Ministry of Magic was about to begin. All that was needed was a little bit of luck, strategy, and the need, want, and will to survive, and maybe. . . just maybe. . . the Wizarding world would make it through this.

Fin

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A/N Thanks to all of my reviewers, i couldn't do it without you! I'm looking for suggestions for my next story, so if anyone has any ideas, please write! thanks a bunch. hang loose.

felony melanie