Disclaimer: I do not own HP or associated.

Chapter 5: Riddles to Hogwarts

"Hello, my name is Harry Potter. You have gathered here to hear about your loved ones who were lost in a battle that after nearly three decades we have won. I was told to visit each ghost in turn. One pointed me to the next. The first spirits I visited were the first killed with the Killing Curse by Voldemort: Voldemort's muggle father and grandparents. They were as rude and snobbish in death as they were in life. They went onto say in the simpliest terms that they were sorry that the scum was of their blood and that all their muggle fortune was to go to muggle orphanages and causes that support the suffers of this war." Harry said all this as everyone in the rooom settled down to listen to him. Ginny sat on Harry's right. Hermione and Ron were with the Weasleys across the room.

Harry went on with his tale going on with names of people who nobody recognized except that they had gone missing some years back. Harry went on in a monotone voice as he got closer and closer to the people that might have relatives in the room or he recognized them from long before that.

"Pennic Squash sent me to another graveyard but this wasn't just for one person killed there were several here. Dorcas Meadows, Edgar Bones and his family, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Marlene McKinnon and family, Benjy Fenwick, and Caradoc Dearborn were all sitting on there graves looking bored to...tears," Harry could tell that these names were recognized throughout the room. Harry had recognized many of them from a picture Moody had shown him at the congratulation party the summer before fifth year.

"Dorcas said that he had been killed by Voldemort himself." Harry looked around the room and spotted the person he was looking for a blonde woman in the corner to his left, "Marsha?"

The woman's head shot up, "yes?"

"Dorcas said that he was glad that you, his sister, is happy even if you are with a muggle, but that you shouldn't have abandoned the wizarding world like you did. He said it will make it harder to explain when Elizabeth is excepted to Hogwarts in two years," Harry said watching as the woman fought back her emotions.

"Thank you," she whispered. Harry nodded and resumed looking in to space continuing his story. It was another twenty minutes before he looked up again.

"Fabian and Gideon," Harry said looking at Molly Weasley, "said that they are very happy at what you have done with your life. They said that Bill and Charlie remind them of themselves and Ginny of you. They asked that all of the money still rusting away in their volts go to your family." Mrs. Weasley was crying and she made to protest Harry held up a hand, "If you make one refusal or try to use it anyone except your children and yourself they will haunt you until the end of eternity." Mrs. Weasley chuckled then went on crying silently as Mr. Weasley and her family comforted her.

Harry rattled on until it came to names that made his mouth go dry, people that were too young to be gone so soon. Children, students, friends, housemates. Harry had reached well into the second war and was fighting to keep his voice going. "Approximately ten days before I returned I was sent to the Hogwarts grounds," Harry's voice choked at the memory. Ginny handed him the cup she had been drinking out of, he gave a grateful smile and drank the sweet liquid handing the cup back to her. Ginny placed the cup on the table and took Harry's closest hand. They both knew that most of the people in the Potter Mansion had actually been waiting for this list of names. Those who died in the final battle...

Flashback

Harry landed for the first time on his feet at this location. Harry knew instantly where he was: Hogwarts. The sun was high in the sky and he was standing in the last place he had seen his friends before he chased Voldemort into the forest.

"Beautiful isn't it Harry?" a voice said from behind.

"Yes Moony, it is," Harry responded turning to face the last of his father's friends. But it wasn't just Remus "Moony" Lupin he was faced with. Many young faces, some younger them him were staring at him. He recognized every last one of them. D. A. members, friends, former students, Ministry officials, Aurors, people who never should have died. Harry broke down crying angry. The first time he had in a long time.

And the spirits let him cry until a mixture of that and fatigue sent him into the first sleep he had in nearly two weeks. When Harry woke it was dark about nine o'clock in the evening. It took a minute for his mind to register why he was sleeping outside of an empty Hogwarts.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, said, "I fear that I was wrong in so many ways and I paid for my blindness..."

"Hundreds paid for your blindness," Harry said is voice laced with hatred.

"I know and I am truly sorry," The ghost of the Minister said, "I also know that being sorry changes nothing so I leave you with this message tell them all I'm sorry..." the ghost blew away in the wind.

"You served us well Harry," Oliver Wood, Harry's former Gryffindor Quidditch captain, "The best part about getting to see you again is we get to know that our deaths weren't in vein. Just as your parents weren't."

Harry looked up to see that Oliver was holding a broom and wearing his Gryffindor Quidditch robes. "Oliver, is that what you get to do for eternity?"

"I was happiest in the air, I never found anything that compared to it in the slightest," Oliver laughed slightly, "not that I looked or even might have seen it. Do that for me Harry, find something that is more important than a sport. And NEVER let it go..." Harry watched as yet another person disappeared like dust in the wind.

Present

Ron looked scandalized at the thought that anything could be more important than Quidditch. Hermione was taking notes along with two other people in the room. One was a media person the other was from the Ministry.

Harry looked up to see Oliver's parents looked sad but proud. Mrs. Wood was crying on her husband's shoulder. Harry found no words of comfort. Ginny squeezed his hand as the clock tolled a dull four o'clock.

Flashback

Katie Bell looked at Harry who was standing barely a foot away. "You need to speak your mind," Katie said, "nobody is going to stop listening. Besides I know of a few people who never doubted you, your word, or your ability. That is my advice Harry, make them never doubt that the Light will win..."

Moody was standing in front of Harry he looked less beaten up, his nose was whole he had his hair the only thing that remained the same was the electric blue eye. "You know what Voldemort was up to when Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald?" Moody asked in the same hoarse voice.

Harry thought a moment before he remembered, "he was nineteen, he disappeared after that to research the Dark Arts..."

"I see you do listen when Ms. Granger tells you something of importance," Moody growled, "Remember Harry: CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

"You taught us well Harry, you really did," this voice belonged to Colin Creevey.

"I can't believe," Harry said slowly.

"You do believe what you are seeing," Colin said, "And you know exactly who is dead before you meet them. If only we could capture the moments when we fell when our courage was at it's highest. We were all afraid to die Harry," Colin chuckled, "anyone who says other wise is lying or stupid. But all of us were willing and all those who survived are still willing to. Not for you or Hogwarts or the wizarding world, we will/are because we want to see the love that exists at the end of the battle. We died for love. I died for Dennis. Luna Lovegood died saving Hermione Granger. Remus Lupin died saving Ginny Weasley.

"I couldn't live with myself if Dennis died and I could prevent it. Luna though rather fond of Ron Weasley knew that Hermione would be an important person in the years of the Light. Remus did it because... well as he put it, he didn't think James would forgive him if he let her die." Harry gave Colin a questioning look, Colin shrugged, "Tell them that they were worth it, that love was worth it..." And Colin too faded away.

Harry was left with his thoughts. Almost an hour passed before he was interrupted, "we spend most of our best times with our families," the man sighed heavily, "what I thought were my best memories seem so pitiful after all this."

"Is it the feeling that you don't know what you have 'til it's gone?" Harry asked looking at the third eldest Weasley he was wearing muggle khakis and a hand knitted sweater with a 'P' on the front.

"I guess so Harry," Percy said sadly, "I was so stupid. Ron got the punishment for not seeing the change in Ginny during the Chamber incident. I don't even really know my family. They seem happy though all of them. They all found something they love. Tell them I'm SO sorry. Give them my love. Tell them I couldn't have lived on with everything I'd done. But I find peace and truth in death..."

Present

Harry talked for another couple minutes until he came to the part where it was just him and Remus. He didn't feel he needed to tell the masses what happened so he finished. The room was quiet except for the muffled cries of everyone in the room. Ginny wanted to know what Remus had said but at this moment just gave Harry time to relax.

The woman Harry addressed earlier named Marsha approached Harry. "Mr. Potter you have given me more than I ever hoped in coming here. Thank you. Not only for what you told us but what you did in defeating the Dark." She shook Harry's hand and bowed slightly to him. She waked to the door and exited.

Many of the parents of student who had died took this as a good way to go. They stood and shook Harry's hand. Harry at one point stood as the waves of 'thank you' kept coming until the masses were gone and Harry could identify who was left. The teachers, the Weasleys, Tonks, Hermione, Neville Longbottom, and the Creeveys were all that stood in the living room with Harry. They were all standing each looking at the person in front of them, he was barely a man by age but he had well earned the superficial title.

Dumbledore looked at Harry a twinkle in his eye. Albus had accomplished what he set out to do even if the plan had been very flawed. Dumbledore clapped once, then slowly again. McGonagall, Flitwick, and the Creeveys followed suit. Ginny untangled her hand from Harry's and backed into the crowd clapping too as the rest joined. The room roared with applause that for so few people the sound rivaled that of the Great Hall.

A/N: Harry explains what is in flashback form. I didn't want to bore you with long paragraphs. And yes Prewett is Molly's maidan name.