A/N: It has been a really long time since I've done this, but I was re- reading my work, and I felt that finishing it was the right thing to do. It was mean of me to leave my small, yet faithful reviewers hanging like that. So - onward, and to the end....

Ginny pinned her curls back neatly and smoothed her robes out. They were black as usual, but this time the blackness had more weight. It just happened to be fitting for a funeral. Sighing slightly, Ginny made her way downstairs to meet with the rest of the Gryffindors, so they could all proceed to the Great Hall together.

Everyone looked sad, for the loss of Seamus had been a particularly hard blow, especially for Lavendar and the 6th year boys. Seamus had been the only Gryffindor causality, again adding to the difficulty. This was going to be a mass funeral for all that had died - 31 Hogwarts students in total.

Ginny sniffed suddenly at the thought - all those lives gone, and for what? They hadn't beaten Voldemort, not yet. It just wasn't fair. Afraid she would start to cry she busied herself by seizing Harry and straightening the tie he was wearing over his robes. All the 6th year boys had donned one, since Seamus had been half Muggle, it seemed a small way to honor him.

"And you know how this goes because..." Harry whispered to her.

She shrugged, "Dad. He was Muggle crazy so he taught all the boys how to tie one, and naturally that included me as well."

Harry smiled, "Oh well naturally." He drawled, "I see the male resemblance."

"Shut up." she teased, smiling. She checked herself a second later, a guilty expression clouding her features, "We shouldn't.... That was...."

"It's ok, Seamus would have enjoyed that I think." Harry said seriously, "He wouldn't want us crying would he? Seamus was always the bright one."

"Come on, we'd better get downstairs." was all Ginny said.

The funeral, though sad and somber, was quite beautiful in it's own way. The weeping was sparse and quiet, and the whole of the students were respectful. Dumbledore made a speech commenting on each student, and certain qualities that made him or her stand out.

Harry could not help flashing back to the time when the hall was directed like this for Cedric. Cho's face swam in front of his mind, streaming with tears. He blinked and impulsively looked around for Lavendar. Not surprisingly, to him at least, her face too was streaming with tears as she held up her glass and drank to Seamus and the others.

Once back in the Common Room, the Gryffindors gathered around the fire, no one saying anything. As it grew later, the younger students went off to bed, and eventually only the 6 years and a few fifth and seventh years remained.

Ron broke the silence first, "I can't believe it really happened. I can't believe things are back to the way they used to be in the Dark years."

Hermione bit her lip and moved closer towards him, "It's so scary," she said.

"But our parents made it out." said a seventh year, named Chris, "I mean, if they can we can. Can't we?"

"I don't know." his girlfriend, a black haired witch named Maria, shook her head, "nothing is certain anymore."

"I hate this." Ginny whispered vehemently, her eyes on the fire.

"Yeah me too." echoed everyone.

"I guess we just have to be patient and...." but Parvati trailed off.

"You know, Hagrid said something to me once, and it's true," Harry offered, "He said, whatever is coming will come, and we'll just have to meet it when it does."

Hermione smiled, just a little, "I always thought Hagrid was brilliant."

"I like that saying, "said Parvati, "I'm going to believe in it...and I'm going to bed." With a goodnight to everyone and a kiss from Dean she left.

Lavendar silently slipped off to bed too, a few moments later.

Eventually the whole of the room left, even Harry went to bed. Left downstairs were Neville, Ron, and Hermione.

Neville sighed, "I thought I was going to die." he said to Ron.

"Yeah..."

"I owe you my life you know."

Oh, Neville don't be ridiculous." Ron said.

Neville just shrugged, and then he said, "I'm going to miss it you know."

"What?" Hermione asked drowsily.

"Our old lives."

Ron just looked at him for a moment before he spoke; "Well I'll be dammed if they think they can snatch our new ones right out from under us so quickly."

"Yeah," Neville echoed, "As long as it takes right?"

"Right." Ron said, a note of conviction in his voice.

The only problem was however; no one knew exactly how long it would take, or how many of them really had the strength to endure it. No one could predict the future and none of them could foresee just who was going to survive - and who wasn't.

As Neville and Hermione made their way upstairs Ron walked over to the window. He gazed at the sky for a moment, and settled upon a bright white star directly above him. Whispering, he made a plea to the sky, "Please keep us all. Please let us pull through this - I can't live without them. Please just give us the strength...."

And with a sigh, Ron proceeded up the stairs too, and fell asleep almost immediately upon getting into bed. He had no idea as he lay there that his plea was the same prayer his Mother said every night before she went to sleep.... And he did not know that it had been working for his whole life either.

Finn

Nice ending right? Well ...it's up to you all now.