A/N: The epilogue's here! The very last chapter! *sniff* I promised myself
I wouldn't cry!
Gilthas: It's okay!
Me: I know. Okay, read some! Review when you're done!
~
Chapter 15: Epilogue
I'm finding my way back to sanity again
Though I don't really know what
I am gonna do when I get there
Take a breath and hold on tight
Spin round one more time
And gracefully fall back into the arms of grace
-Life House
Harry stood uncertainly outside the house. Inside everything was bright and cheerful. He could practically feel the warmth of the crackling fire that he knew must be in there. He shivered against the cold and pulled his cloak tighter around him. He would freeze if he stood out there too long.
Harry took a deep, shuddering breath. He could do this, he could.
Almost as if his hand had been turned completely to lead, Harry lifted it to the brass doorknocker.
He stood there, every fiber in him telling him that this was wrong, that he could still turn back, that he didn't have to go through with this.
Yes, Harry thought firmly. I do.
The door opened.
Harry shrunk instinctively from the light. A laughing, red-haired man appeared in the doorway. He squinted in the sudden darkness-a sharp contrast to the world to which he had become accustomed.
Harry could feel his legs start to give out from under him. He took an unsteady step forward and felt totally exposed in the bright light.
Ron stopped squinting. His smile faded and he said hoarsely, "Harry?"
Harry realized that his cloak that had been his safety blanket for so long was still slightly over his head. Harry reached up and pulled it off with one hand, the other digging into his pocket for something he had put there earlier.
"Harry!" Ron said. His entire face seemed to light up. He just stood there though, waiting for Harry to make the first move.
Every ounce of self confidence that Harry had worked so hard to muster up before this moment seemed to have slipped from him so that he felt like a poor orphan who had been beaten into submission. His hand in his pocket found what it was looking for and he seized it gratefully.
He pulled a small letter from his cloak. "I-I got this invitation." Harry stammered. "And I-I thought maybe I could come."
"My door," Ron said his voice full of happiness. "Has always been open."
* * *
Harry awoke from a deep slumber three weeks after his encounter with Voldemort. His wounds had been healed instantly by phoenix tears, but the utter exhaustion, and a few well placed curses that not even phoenix tears could get the first time, had kept him a state somewhere between unconsciousness and unreality.
He tried to sit up, but his head pounded and he quickly lay back down again.
From what he could see without his glasses on, it was very dark outside. It must be the middle of the night.
And where was he? Harry reached over to the bedside cabinet that was oddly familiar and felt around for his glasses.
They sat on the very edge and his hand bumped them. They fell silently to the floor. Frowning, Harry squinted around. He was in the hospital wing.
Memories came back to him. The fight flashed before his eyes. Hermione! What had happened to Hermione?
He tried to look around but curtains surrounded his bed. It was then that he noticed that he was not alone.
A man sat next to him, sound asleep, his head resting on his arms which, in turn rested on Harry's covers. He faced away from him so that Harry could not see his face, though he probably could not have made out anything distinctive about the man's features without his glasses.
He reached again for his glasses before remembering he had already knocked them to the floor. His brain seemed very muddled.
He instead concentrated his efforts on trying to figure out who the man was. Squinting until his eyes were very nearly shut, Harry could make out long black hair that was considerably messy-even compared to his own. It looked as though it had not been washed for several days.
The man groaned and moved a little. The voice registered in his brain. But...that sounded like.
There was a wonderfully brief moment when Harry contemplated that perhaps he had gone to sleep at one point and never awoken. That he battle with Voldemort, Sirius's death, Dumbledore's death, Hermione's parent's attack..all of it, had been some long dream. That he had gone to sleep one day and never really woken up.
His head pounded again. Nope. Still, that man was strangely familiar. Harry reached out a hand. It hurt like hell, but he had to know. He couldn't wait any longer.
Harry's finger's brushed lightly against the man's hair.
The man stirred slightly and muttered, "Another five minutes."
Harry smiled a little.
Suddenly the man sat up with a jerk knocking his chair backwards and falling to the floor. He scrambled to his feet.
"Harry!"
Harry squinted harder, not daring to believe it, but having no way of being sure.
The man dropped to his knees and knelt beside his bed. Harry squinted again and this time he saw.
"Sirius?" His voice cracked. It was weak from lack of use. Harry might have wondered how long he had been out had he not been slightly preoccupied.
"Harry! You're awake! Are you okay? How do you feel? Are you-"
Sirius trailed off and realized Harry was not taking in a word he was saying. "Harry?"
"Sirius!" Harry said. "You're alive!" Suddenly he stopped, frowning. "Or am I dead?"
"No!" Sirius practically shouted. "You're alive! I'm alive too! It's rather a long story I'll have to tell you later-omitting details, of course. But people have known that for ages, Harry. It's you we've been worried about."
"Me? But Sirius! You were dead!"
"Like I said, Harry," Sirius said, grinning. "Old news. The vast majority of the world knows that by now. You've been out for quite a while."
Harry wasn't sure what to say. How could Sirius be so calm about this? Unless.
"You weren't hiding from me, were you?" Harry asked, dreading the answer. "You died! I saw you! You fell into that veil and they said you could never come out! That happened didn't it?"
"Yes!" Sirius said, shocked that Harry should suggest such a thing. "It all happened! I'll explain it to you later, I promise. You don't need to get worked up about this. I'll be thrown out if you do!"
Harry had no words to describe what he was feeling at the moment. He was torn between surprise at finding Sirius alive, confusion over the whole matter, happiness, of course for the return of his godfather, annoyance at being worried over, and above all, in quite a lot of pain from his injuries and his brain trying to work a little too hard.
Sirius seemed to realize this. He forced himself to calm down. "It's okay, Harry." He righted his chair and sat down in it. He took Harry's hand in his and looked him in the eye. Harry had lost quite a bit of weight in his long stay in the hospital wing, but his eyes shone as brightly as usual.
"Should I go get Ron and Hermione?" Sirius asked. "I'm sure there are quite a few others who would love to see you as well, but I think maybe you should take it slow."
"Ron and Hermione are fine," Harry said grinning.
Sirius grinned to and started to walk from the little curtained place.
"Sirius?"
Sirius stopped and turned around.
"I'm glad you're back."
"Me too." He closed the curtain behind him. Harry caught a glimpse of brightly covered paper filling the room. Harry blinked. Was he in the hospital wing? Where was Madam Pomfrey?
He didn't have long to dwell on his thoughts, however.
"Harry!"
Harry cringed when he heard Hermione's shrill voice. The loud noise made his head hurt. But he grinned all the same. The curtains were ripped aside to show Ron and Hermione, still in their night clothes. He also got another glimpse of the room beyond. Bertie Botts?
Ron grinned when he saw where Harry was looking. "You've seen your presents, have you? Professor Lupin had to charm the window to keep the owls away. Over half the stuff had to be moved to another room. And it's not all candy! People sent some expensive stuff as well. We don't know what half of it is because they wrapped it, but we've checked to make sure nothing is dark magic, you know, sent from Death Eaters."
Harry head was spinning. "People sent me gifts? What for?"
"Defeating You-Know-Who!" Ron said. Hermione nudged him. "What?"
"You've got an Order of Merlin, you know," she said. Her voice was much quieter than Ron's. "First Class."
"Any benefits?" Harry asked, trying to block the memory of the battle out of his head.
"Are you kidding?" Ron asked. "You're allowed to go anywhere! They can't stop you from going most anywhere. You get special seating at fancy restraints. You get a discount on just about everything-"
"But don't forget the most important," Hermione interjected, grinning.
"Eh? What's that?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're guaranteed a spot in the Wizen Gamut. They can't turn you away!"
"Wow," Harry said grinning. "I'll go to every meeting."
Ron snorted and Hermione grinned. Then her smile flickered. "How are you, Harry?"
"Oh, not bad," Harry said. "If I don't move, it doesn't hurt."
Hermione and Ron stood awkwardly by the side for a moment, as though unsure how to take that.
"What do you reckon about Sirius, though," Harry said, another smile coming on, trying to lighten the mood and get answers at the same time. "Have you seen him?"
"How could we not have seen him?" Hermione asked. "If we try to come and visit you, he's constantly hovering over our shoulder until we leave, telling us to 'be careful' and 'don't hurt him'."
"What's his story then?" Harry asked. "He said he would tell me later."
"We're still rather unclear on the whole thing," Ron said, frowning. Harry's gaze flickered to Hermione and saw that she suddenly looked a little embarrassed, like she knew something but wouldn't say.
"Well, spill."
"Apparently it had to do with that mirror you broke 5th year," Ron said. "Sirius had the other mirror when he went through. When you tried to contact him, it formed a link."
"But I broke it," Harry said. "And I still have it in my trunk."
"Yes," Hermione said, frowning thoughtfully. "And that's what I don't understand. When it broke, you can't just repair it because the charm breaks with the mirror and you have to have both mirrors to put the charm back on. But I suppose they were in the Department of Mysteries and maybe there's something in there that could do something like that."
"Who was in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked.
"Some Death Eater and an Order of the Phoenix member, as far as we can tell," Ron said, shrugging. "They were very vague on who it was. No names were mentioned at all. Of course, we're sure Sirius knows because he said that they (still no names there either) tied the Death Eater up and left him there like that. Anyway, Sirius's name was cleared when they found Peter Pettigrew dead on the Death Eater field."
Hermione suddenly blinked as though she had just figured something out, but she quickly hid her expression.
"Hermione," Harry asked. "Do you know something we don't?"
"Of course not," Hermione said dismissively, but Harry could see it in her eyes.
"You do too!" Harry said. "I took that stupid Occlemency course with Snape enough times to at least be able to tell if someone's hiding something. Tell us."
"I don't know anything," Hermione insisted. "I've already forgotten what it was I was thinking about. It couldn't possibly be that important, could it?"
Ron seemed satisfied, but Harry gave her one more suspicious look before dropping the subject. "So, you said something about expensive gifts?"
* * *
Harry checked himself in the mirror. His face still had a rather tired look about it, but he didn't care. Maybe that would prevent the other students asking him questions.
He straightened his robes nervously. He was leaving the hospital wing much earlier than he had wanted to, but Sirius had insisted he be present for his very last End-of-Term feast he would ever have. Madam Pomfrey would never have allowed it, but she had died in the fighting, like the vast majority of the staff.
A knock sounded at the hospital wing door. He was the only one in there and it had become something like a room-away-from-his-room.
"Come in," Harry said.
The door opened. Sirius stuck his head in. "Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Harry said, taking a deep breath.
"That's the spirit," Sirius said, grinning. He fully entered the room now. "Let's go."
Seeing that hiding under the bed until Sirius went away was not an option, Harry made himself walk to the door where Sirius was waiting on him.
They walked to the Great Hall in silence, Harry lost too deep in thoughts and worries to say much of anything and Sirius beginning to worry that maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all.
They paused outside the Great Hall. Sirius's worries got the best of him.
"Are you sure you're ready?"
Harry hesitated before nodding. "I've come this far, haven't I?"
"And you can't stay in the hospital wing forever," Sirius agreed.
"No matter how much I wish I could."
Sirius grinned and ruffled his latest attempt at calm hair. Harry turned to the doors and took another deep breath, letting it out slowly, postponing the moment in which he would have to open those doors.
"I'll be right next to you," Sirius reminded him.
Harry nodded. Reaching out a hesitant hand, Harry pushed open the doors. Maybe he could just slip in, so no one would even notice.
Everyone was looking at him. The second the door had opened, the Great Hall had quieted and every eye had turned to rest on him. Harry knew every person had questions to ask. He tried to look instead, at Ron and Hermione's anxious faces, though they did not help much for his nerves.
Sirius squeezed him on the shoulder. Realizing that he couldn't just stand there, and at some point he might be expected to walk, Harry took a small step on now leaden legs. Sirius followed him as far a he could before having to turn back to the teachers' table and then left Harry to walk by himself, completely alone, with every eye in the Great Hall staring directly at him.
Harry did not stop. He continued walking as though everyone in the hall had continued to eat and talk. The eerie silence had not yet been broken.
Harry sat down between Ron and Hermione. Ron glared at the 5th year across the table from them.
"Keep staring, maybe he'll do a trick."
The sound echoed through the hall and snapped the majority of people back to their senses. The talking slowly returned, though the stares never completely left him.
Harry looked gratefully at his friend.
"Hungry?" Hermione asked, pulling the mashed potatoes toward them.
"Starved," Harry said, grabbing the spoon thankfully.
They ate their meal in peace, talking and chatting happily. Hermione bragged briefly on her exceptional NEWT scores while Ron rolled his eyes at her. Ginny came to sit with then later and when she began to talk to them normally, it encouraged others to talk as well and soon they had formed a group including Seamus, Neville, Dean, Parvati, and Lavender. No one asked Harry to talk about 'the incident' and Harry did not bring up the subject. By the end of the feast, Harry was beginning to feel happy about being back at Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall stood up.
Headmistress McGonagall, Harry reminded himself.
"First I would like to say," McGonagall said. "That this has been a very trying year for everyone." A few eyes flickered toward Harry, which he ignored. "I would personally like to thank each and every one of you who helped this year. I know that this year has been one of the hardest in Hogwart's history. There have been many unfortunate deaths this year including that of our beloved Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. Could everyone now please stand and give a toast to his memory?"
Every single person in the hall stood and raised their goblets, muttering "Dumbledore".
"I don't want to keep you from your warm beds much longer," McGonagall said. "But I would like to say, that I hope to see every face here next year, except, of course, the 7th years. We will all miss them very much, and I know the Quidditch team will, especially." Her gaze flickered to Ron and Harry, who grinned at each other out of the corner of their eye.
"Saying this, all I have left to say, is good night and have a safe trip home tomorrow."
There was some applause to this. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried out of the hall, trying not to get caught in any sort of crowd. Harry had to use two short cuts to get rid of a few people who were looking for him.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Hermione said. "And don't get on the train! We have to graduate sometime!"
Harry and Ron nodded and headed up the stairs to their dormitory. The way seemed familiar to Harry, yet strange at the same time. It felt like a different life ago that he had slept in this room with the rest of his house.
"Ready for graduation?" Ron asked as he pulled on his night clothes.
"Couldn't be readier," Harry replied.
It was true. Hogwarts had been his home, but Dumbledore had been like his father. He knew that he could not stay here without Dumbledore. It was impossible. It would not be Hogwarts. It was now a different school for a different time.
Because it is a different time, Harry decided, getting into bed. A better time, I suppose. And it had better be for the best.
The End
~
A/N: I can't believe it's over! *cries*
Gilthas: I can't believe it either! Much sadness!!!
Me: Yeah, I've been thinking about a sequel because I love this story! Of course, if I do a sequel, I think it would be about the future Harry instead of the past Harry. I mean, 3003 is kind of a sequel for the other Harry, for those who noticed. Besides, I kind of think older Harry is...well...more interesting than the younger Harry. Either way, please tell me what you think!!!
keebler-elmo: Here it is! *starts crying again*
Authoress: Not saying nothing! *cackles evilly* Did you know that you were the only one of two that realized the Harry not unlocking the door thing? *sigh* Oh well, I'm glad you noticed!!!
SilverKnight7: Thanks!
Allizarin Sylvain Phyre: Does Sylvain mean something? My computer doesn't underline it as misspelled... Here's my epilogue! I can't believe it's over!
sara*magic: You're blonde? I used to be. Now I'm blue. *laughs* No, literally. Anyway, I like you're ideas for the sequel, but I think I need more of a plot for the future Harry. Still, I'll put my invisible thinking cap on (or visible thinking cap, if that doesn't work). I really want a sequel though!
A-man: *laughs* I know. Suggestions for sequel? Not plot lines, but, you know, would you prefer future Harry of past Harry? Stuff like that.
Victoria: So glad! Here's the epilogue! What do you think about the sequel?
Darkmoon Fleur: Headmaster? Then what would I do for a sequel?
~
Me: Thanks so much for everything!!! I'm so sad that this story is over!!!
Gilthas: You've said that four times now.
Me: Well I am! I don't know what I'll do after this!!!
Gilthas: *blinks* Why not write 3003?
Me: I will! I just liked having two stories going at once. It was spiffy.
Gilthas: Right.
Me: Okay, I can't believe it's already over!!! Okay, my epilogue is over! My story is over! Tell me what you think about a sequel or if you just want me to write something completely different.
Gilthas: Are you done yet?
Me: When I finish typing, my story is going to be over!
Gilthas: Don't worry about it. You have other stories.
Me: Yeah. So review! Please! It's over!
Gilthas: It's okay!
Me: I know. Okay, read some! Review when you're done!
~
Chapter 15: Epilogue
I'm finding my way back to sanity again
Though I don't really know what
I am gonna do when I get there
Take a breath and hold on tight
Spin round one more time
And gracefully fall back into the arms of grace
-Life House
Harry stood uncertainly outside the house. Inside everything was bright and cheerful. He could practically feel the warmth of the crackling fire that he knew must be in there. He shivered against the cold and pulled his cloak tighter around him. He would freeze if he stood out there too long.
Harry took a deep, shuddering breath. He could do this, he could.
Almost as if his hand had been turned completely to lead, Harry lifted it to the brass doorknocker.
He stood there, every fiber in him telling him that this was wrong, that he could still turn back, that he didn't have to go through with this.
Yes, Harry thought firmly. I do.
The door opened.
Harry shrunk instinctively from the light. A laughing, red-haired man appeared in the doorway. He squinted in the sudden darkness-a sharp contrast to the world to which he had become accustomed.
Harry could feel his legs start to give out from under him. He took an unsteady step forward and felt totally exposed in the bright light.
Ron stopped squinting. His smile faded and he said hoarsely, "Harry?"
Harry realized that his cloak that had been his safety blanket for so long was still slightly over his head. Harry reached up and pulled it off with one hand, the other digging into his pocket for something he had put there earlier.
"Harry!" Ron said. His entire face seemed to light up. He just stood there though, waiting for Harry to make the first move.
Every ounce of self confidence that Harry had worked so hard to muster up before this moment seemed to have slipped from him so that he felt like a poor orphan who had been beaten into submission. His hand in his pocket found what it was looking for and he seized it gratefully.
He pulled a small letter from his cloak. "I-I got this invitation." Harry stammered. "And I-I thought maybe I could come."
"My door," Ron said his voice full of happiness. "Has always been open."
* * *
Harry awoke from a deep slumber three weeks after his encounter with Voldemort. His wounds had been healed instantly by phoenix tears, but the utter exhaustion, and a few well placed curses that not even phoenix tears could get the first time, had kept him a state somewhere between unconsciousness and unreality.
He tried to sit up, but his head pounded and he quickly lay back down again.
From what he could see without his glasses on, it was very dark outside. It must be the middle of the night.
And where was he? Harry reached over to the bedside cabinet that was oddly familiar and felt around for his glasses.
They sat on the very edge and his hand bumped them. They fell silently to the floor. Frowning, Harry squinted around. He was in the hospital wing.
Memories came back to him. The fight flashed before his eyes. Hermione! What had happened to Hermione?
He tried to look around but curtains surrounded his bed. It was then that he noticed that he was not alone.
A man sat next to him, sound asleep, his head resting on his arms which, in turn rested on Harry's covers. He faced away from him so that Harry could not see his face, though he probably could not have made out anything distinctive about the man's features without his glasses.
He reached again for his glasses before remembering he had already knocked them to the floor. His brain seemed very muddled.
He instead concentrated his efforts on trying to figure out who the man was. Squinting until his eyes were very nearly shut, Harry could make out long black hair that was considerably messy-even compared to his own. It looked as though it had not been washed for several days.
The man groaned and moved a little. The voice registered in his brain. But...that sounded like.
There was a wonderfully brief moment when Harry contemplated that perhaps he had gone to sleep at one point and never awoken. That he battle with Voldemort, Sirius's death, Dumbledore's death, Hermione's parent's attack..all of it, had been some long dream. That he had gone to sleep one day and never really woken up.
His head pounded again. Nope. Still, that man was strangely familiar. Harry reached out a hand. It hurt like hell, but he had to know. He couldn't wait any longer.
Harry's finger's brushed lightly against the man's hair.
The man stirred slightly and muttered, "Another five minutes."
Harry smiled a little.
Suddenly the man sat up with a jerk knocking his chair backwards and falling to the floor. He scrambled to his feet.
"Harry!"
Harry squinted harder, not daring to believe it, but having no way of being sure.
The man dropped to his knees and knelt beside his bed. Harry squinted again and this time he saw.
"Sirius?" His voice cracked. It was weak from lack of use. Harry might have wondered how long he had been out had he not been slightly preoccupied.
"Harry! You're awake! Are you okay? How do you feel? Are you-"
Sirius trailed off and realized Harry was not taking in a word he was saying. "Harry?"
"Sirius!" Harry said. "You're alive!" Suddenly he stopped, frowning. "Or am I dead?"
"No!" Sirius practically shouted. "You're alive! I'm alive too! It's rather a long story I'll have to tell you later-omitting details, of course. But people have known that for ages, Harry. It's you we've been worried about."
"Me? But Sirius! You were dead!"
"Like I said, Harry," Sirius said, grinning. "Old news. The vast majority of the world knows that by now. You've been out for quite a while."
Harry wasn't sure what to say. How could Sirius be so calm about this? Unless.
"You weren't hiding from me, were you?" Harry asked, dreading the answer. "You died! I saw you! You fell into that veil and they said you could never come out! That happened didn't it?"
"Yes!" Sirius said, shocked that Harry should suggest such a thing. "It all happened! I'll explain it to you later, I promise. You don't need to get worked up about this. I'll be thrown out if you do!"
Harry had no words to describe what he was feeling at the moment. He was torn between surprise at finding Sirius alive, confusion over the whole matter, happiness, of course for the return of his godfather, annoyance at being worried over, and above all, in quite a lot of pain from his injuries and his brain trying to work a little too hard.
Sirius seemed to realize this. He forced himself to calm down. "It's okay, Harry." He righted his chair and sat down in it. He took Harry's hand in his and looked him in the eye. Harry had lost quite a bit of weight in his long stay in the hospital wing, but his eyes shone as brightly as usual.
"Should I go get Ron and Hermione?" Sirius asked. "I'm sure there are quite a few others who would love to see you as well, but I think maybe you should take it slow."
"Ron and Hermione are fine," Harry said grinning.
Sirius grinned to and started to walk from the little curtained place.
"Sirius?"
Sirius stopped and turned around.
"I'm glad you're back."
"Me too." He closed the curtain behind him. Harry caught a glimpse of brightly covered paper filling the room. Harry blinked. Was he in the hospital wing? Where was Madam Pomfrey?
He didn't have long to dwell on his thoughts, however.
"Harry!"
Harry cringed when he heard Hermione's shrill voice. The loud noise made his head hurt. But he grinned all the same. The curtains were ripped aside to show Ron and Hermione, still in their night clothes. He also got another glimpse of the room beyond. Bertie Botts?
Ron grinned when he saw where Harry was looking. "You've seen your presents, have you? Professor Lupin had to charm the window to keep the owls away. Over half the stuff had to be moved to another room. And it's not all candy! People sent some expensive stuff as well. We don't know what half of it is because they wrapped it, but we've checked to make sure nothing is dark magic, you know, sent from Death Eaters."
Harry head was spinning. "People sent me gifts? What for?"
"Defeating You-Know-Who!" Ron said. Hermione nudged him. "What?"
"You've got an Order of Merlin, you know," she said. Her voice was much quieter than Ron's. "First Class."
"Any benefits?" Harry asked, trying to block the memory of the battle out of his head.
"Are you kidding?" Ron asked. "You're allowed to go anywhere! They can't stop you from going most anywhere. You get special seating at fancy restraints. You get a discount on just about everything-"
"But don't forget the most important," Hermione interjected, grinning.
"Eh? What's that?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're guaranteed a spot in the Wizen Gamut. They can't turn you away!"
"Wow," Harry said grinning. "I'll go to every meeting."
Ron snorted and Hermione grinned. Then her smile flickered. "How are you, Harry?"
"Oh, not bad," Harry said. "If I don't move, it doesn't hurt."
Hermione and Ron stood awkwardly by the side for a moment, as though unsure how to take that.
"What do you reckon about Sirius, though," Harry said, another smile coming on, trying to lighten the mood and get answers at the same time. "Have you seen him?"
"How could we not have seen him?" Hermione asked. "If we try to come and visit you, he's constantly hovering over our shoulder until we leave, telling us to 'be careful' and 'don't hurt him'."
"What's his story then?" Harry asked. "He said he would tell me later."
"We're still rather unclear on the whole thing," Ron said, frowning. Harry's gaze flickered to Hermione and saw that she suddenly looked a little embarrassed, like she knew something but wouldn't say.
"Well, spill."
"Apparently it had to do with that mirror you broke 5th year," Ron said. "Sirius had the other mirror when he went through. When you tried to contact him, it formed a link."
"But I broke it," Harry said. "And I still have it in my trunk."
"Yes," Hermione said, frowning thoughtfully. "And that's what I don't understand. When it broke, you can't just repair it because the charm breaks with the mirror and you have to have both mirrors to put the charm back on. But I suppose they were in the Department of Mysteries and maybe there's something in there that could do something like that."
"Who was in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked.
"Some Death Eater and an Order of the Phoenix member, as far as we can tell," Ron said, shrugging. "They were very vague on who it was. No names were mentioned at all. Of course, we're sure Sirius knows because he said that they (still no names there either) tied the Death Eater up and left him there like that. Anyway, Sirius's name was cleared when they found Peter Pettigrew dead on the Death Eater field."
Hermione suddenly blinked as though she had just figured something out, but she quickly hid her expression.
"Hermione," Harry asked. "Do you know something we don't?"
"Of course not," Hermione said dismissively, but Harry could see it in her eyes.
"You do too!" Harry said. "I took that stupid Occlemency course with Snape enough times to at least be able to tell if someone's hiding something. Tell us."
"I don't know anything," Hermione insisted. "I've already forgotten what it was I was thinking about. It couldn't possibly be that important, could it?"
Ron seemed satisfied, but Harry gave her one more suspicious look before dropping the subject. "So, you said something about expensive gifts?"
* * *
Harry checked himself in the mirror. His face still had a rather tired look about it, but he didn't care. Maybe that would prevent the other students asking him questions.
He straightened his robes nervously. He was leaving the hospital wing much earlier than he had wanted to, but Sirius had insisted he be present for his very last End-of-Term feast he would ever have. Madam Pomfrey would never have allowed it, but she had died in the fighting, like the vast majority of the staff.
A knock sounded at the hospital wing door. He was the only one in there and it had become something like a room-away-from-his-room.
"Come in," Harry said.
The door opened. Sirius stuck his head in. "Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Harry said, taking a deep breath.
"That's the spirit," Sirius said, grinning. He fully entered the room now. "Let's go."
Seeing that hiding under the bed until Sirius went away was not an option, Harry made himself walk to the door where Sirius was waiting on him.
They walked to the Great Hall in silence, Harry lost too deep in thoughts and worries to say much of anything and Sirius beginning to worry that maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all.
They paused outside the Great Hall. Sirius's worries got the best of him.
"Are you sure you're ready?"
Harry hesitated before nodding. "I've come this far, haven't I?"
"And you can't stay in the hospital wing forever," Sirius agreed.
"No matter how much I wish I could."
Sirius grinned and ruffled his latest attempt at calm hair. Harry turned to the doors and took another deep breath, letting it out slowly, postponing the moment in which he would have to open those doors.
"I'll be right next to you," Sirius reminded him.
Harry nodded. Reaching out a hesitant hand, Harry pushed open the doors. Maybe he could just slip in, so no one would even notice.
Everyone was looking at him. The second the door had opened, the Great Hall had quieted and every eye had turned to rest on him. Harry knew every person had questions to ask. He tried to look instead, at Ron and Hermione's anxious faces, though they did not help much for his nerves.
Sirius squeezed him on the shoulder. Realizing that he couldn't just stand there, and at some point he might be expected to walk, Harry took a small step on now leaden legs. Sirius followed him as far a he could before having to turn back to the teachers' table and then left Harry to walk by himself, completely alone, with every eye in the Great Hall staring directly at him.
Harry did not stop. He continued walking as though everyone in the hall had continued to eat and talk. The eerie silence had not yet been broken.
Harry sat down between Ron and Hermione. Ron glared at the 5th year across the table from them.
"Keep staring, maybe he'll do a trick."
The sound echoed through the hall and snapped the majority of people back to their senses. The talking slowly returned, though the stares never completely left him.
Harry looked gratefully at his friend.
"Hungry?" Hermione asked, pulling the mashed potatoes toward them.
"Starved," Harry said, grabbing the spoon thankfully.
They ate their meal in peace, talking and chatting happily. Hermione bragged briefly on her exceptional NEWT scores while Ron rolled his eyes at her. Ginny came to sit with then later and when she began to talk to them normally, it encouraged others to talk as well and soon they had formed a group including Seamus, Neville, Dean, Parvati, and Lavender. No one asked Harry to talk about 'the incident' and Harry did not bring up the subject. By the end of the feast, Harry was beginning to feel happy about being back at Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall stood up.
Headmistress McGonagall, Harry reminded himself.
"First I would like to say," McGonagall said. "That this has been a very trying year for everyone." A few eyes flickered toward Harry, which he ignored. "I would personally like to thank each and every one of you who helped this year. I know that this year has been one of the hardest in Hogwart's history. There have been many unfortunate deaths this year including that of our beloved Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. Could everyone now please stand and give a toast to his memory?"
Every single person in the hall stood and raised their goblets, muttering "Dumbledore".
"I don't want to keep you from your warm beds much longer," McGonagall said. "But I would like to say, that I hope to see every face here next year, except, of course, the 7th years. We will all miss them very much, and I know the Quidditch team will, especially." Her gaze flickered to Ron and Harry, who grinned at each other out of the corner of their eye.
"Saying this, all I have left to say, is good night and have a safe trip home tomorrow."
There was some applause to this. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried out of the hall, trying not to get caught in any sort of crowd. Harry had to use two short cuts to get rid of a few people who were looking for him.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Hermione said. "And don't get on the train! We have to graduate sometime!"
Harry and Ron nodded and headed up the stairs to their dormitory. The way seemed familiar to Harry, yet strange at the same time. It felt like a different life ago that he had slept in this room with the rest of his house.
"Ready for graduation?" Ron asked as he pulled on his night clothes.
"Couldn't be readier," Harry replied.
It was true. Hogwarts had been his home, but Dumbledore had been like his father. He knew that he could not stay here without Dumbledore. It was impossible. It would not be Hogwarts. It was now a different school for a different time.
Because it is a different time, Harry decided, getting into bed. A better time, I suppose. And it had better be for the best.
The End
~
A/N: I can't believe it's over! *cries*
Gilthas: I can't believe it either! Much sadness!!!
Me: Yeah, I've been thinking about a sequel because I love this story! Of course, if I do a sequel, I think it would be about the future Harry instead of the past Harry. I mean, 3003 is kind of a sequel for the other Harry, for those who noticed. Besides, I kind of think older Harry is...well...more interesting than the younger Harry. Either way, please tell me what you think!!!
keebler-elmo: Here it is! *starts crying again*
Authoress: Not saying nothing! *cackles evilly* Did you know that you were the only one of two that realized the Harry not unlocking the door thing? *sigh* Oh well, I'm glad you noticed!!!
SilverKnight7: Thanks!
Allizarin Sylvain Phyre: Does Sylvain mean something? My computer doesn't underline it as misspelled... Here's my epilogue! I can't believe it's over!
sara*magic: You're blonde? I used to be. Now I'm blue. *laughs* No, literally. Anyway, I like you're ideas for the sequel, but I think I need more of a plot for the future Harry. Still, I'll put my invisible thinking cap on (or visible thinking cap, if that doesn't work). I really want a sequel though!
A-man: *laughs* I know. Suggestions for sequel? Not plot lines, but, you know, would you prefer future Harry of past Harry? Stuff like that.
Victoria: So glad! Here's the epilogue! What do you think about the sequel?
Darkmoon Fleur: Headmaster? Then what would I do for a sequel?
~
Me: Thanks so much for everything!!! I'm so sad that this story is over!!!
Gilthas: You've said that four times now.
Me: Well I am! I don't know what I'll do after this!!!
Gilthas: *blinks* Why not write 3003?
Me: I will! I just liked having two stories going at once. It was spiffy.
Gilthas: Right.
Me: Okay, I can't believe it's already over!!! Okay, my epilogue is over! My story is over! Tell me what you think about a sequel or if you just want me to write something completely different.
Gilthas: Are you done yet?
Me: When I finish typing, my story is going to be over!
Gilthas: Don't worry about it. You have other stories.
Me: Yeah. So review! Please! It's over!