Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Two chapters left…
Chapter 18: Aftermath
"…appeared out of nowhere…"
"…scar…"
"…killing curse…"
"The killing curse?"
"Yeah…shield…his hands…flames…I'm only…over fine points…Draco knows…he was there…for good this time, I'm sure."
The voices grew louder as they approached. Harry knew that they were nearby, but he could only make out snatches of the conversation as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Suddenly, a new voice was added, quite loudly and hysterically, and Harry woke up completely.
"Where is he?" came the shrill, panicked voice of Molly Weasley.
"Molly, quiet, please, he's trying to rest," replied a voice Harry recognized as Madame Pomfrey's.
"I demand to know…" Molly began again, but another voice cut her off. Harry was surprised as Ginny began to speak.
"Mum, shut up!" she exclaimed. "Harry's fine, he's sleeping over there."
Harry opened his eyes to find everything blurry. He reached for his glasses and sat up. The curtains were drawn around his bed, but he could see the shadowy figures of people on the other side.
Madame Pomfrey pulled the curtains back and jumped when she was him awake. She immediately began to fret over him while Ginny looked sheepish.
"Congratulations, Harry," she said quietly, giving him a small smile. "You did it."
"He's really gone?" Harry asked, almost afraid to believe it. Ginny's smile grew larger.
"He's really gone," the red head repeated. Harry couldn't stop the enormous grin that spread across his own face.
"Where is everyone?" he asked.
"There's still a bunch of thick-skulled Death Eaters who refuse to believe that their master is dead. The DA is helping the order round them up," Ginny explained. Molly rushed forward suddenly and enveloped Harry is a bone-crushing hug only she could give.
"Harry dear, are you alright?" she asked.
"Um…I'll be fine, Mrs. Weasley, as soon as I can breath," Harry gasped out. Molly immediately released him.
"Please, dear, call me Molly," she insisted. Harry grinned.
"No can do, Mrs. Weasley," he said mischievously.
"Well, Harry, I see no reason why you can't leave," Madame Pomfrey announced. Harry smiled.
"Good!" he said, climbing out of bed. With a wave of his hand, he was fully clothed. He ignored the surprised looks on the women's faces at his display of wandless magic.
"Let's go out to the battle," Ginny suggested.
"Wait, you're speaking to me again?" Harry asked.
"Well, I decided that I had gone on long enough, and considering the circumstances, I didn't think it was very fair to hold a grudge, so I just…"
"Oh, please," came a voice from the doorway. "I talked her into it." The four of them turned to see Ron leaning against the doorframe. In Harry's opinion, he looked much better. He had gotten something to eat, and cleaned himself up a bit.
Harry and Ginny were not shocked to see him there, as they had already seen him before. Harry was a bit surprised that Madame Pomfrey didn't freak out, but he decided that Ron had already spoken to her as well. Molly's jaw hit the floor and she leaped forward and seized her son.
"Ronnie! Oh, Ronnie, what are you doing here?" she demanded, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"I'll explain later, mum," Ron said, pulling away gently. "I just came to tell Harry that the last of the Death Eaters have been caught, and you're expected down in the Great Hall immediately."
"Ok," Harry said. "Let's go. Where's Draco, Hermione, and Luna?"
"I'm not really sure at the moment where Luna is, but I think she's in the Great Hall. Draco and 'Mione are helping some of the Aurors take a death count for both sides."
"Were there any deaths on our side?"
"Well…" Ron hesitated, and Harry's heart sank.
"Who?" he asked.
"Well…there were a couple lower-level Aurors that died, I don't think we knew any of them, and…um…" Ron trailed off again.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt was killed by Lucius Malfoy," Ginny said quietly, tears forming in her eyes. Harry stopped.
"Kingsley?" he repeated in disbelief. "How? He was one of the top Aurors!"
"We don't know exactly how, there were no witnesses," Ginny said. "But Tonks found his body at the entrance to the forest. We think he was going to check out the blast of magic that came from in there, and Malfoy snuck up on him." Harry felt a surge of guilt at her words. He had been the one to cause the blast of magic. Ron noticed his downcast eyes and cut in hastily.
"We thought at first that Malfoy was in the group of Death Eaters you blasted into next week. But then we started rounding up remaining Death Eaters after you passed out, we caught sight of Malfoy running toward the boundaries of the school, most likely so he could Apparate out. Coward. Anyways, Ginny shot a stunner at him, hit him from at least a hundred yards away, most amazing stunning spell I've every seen. Knocked him flat on his face, he tumbled down and fell into the lake. We couldn't find him. We think maybe the Giant Squid ate him. It was brilliant though." Ginny looked proud at the level of praise her brother was giving her. Harry smiled a bit.
"Congrats, Sparky," he said, referring to the old nickname he had given her several years back. He had been the only one she allowed to call her that, and he hadn't called her Sparky in months. It felt good to know that she was back on his side. Ginny grinned.
"Thanks," she said.
"But speaking of blasting Death Eaters," Ron cut in again. "Those ones you hit, Harry? Dead."
"All of them?"
"Yup."
"I killed them?"
"Yup."
"You got revenge for Sirius as well as your parents," Ginny said soothingly. Harry grinned.
"Excellent." Ron and Ginny laughed.
They reached the Great Hall at that time, and Harry pushed the doors open. As silence fell over the room as he stepped in.
Suddenly, an explosion of cheering nearly knocked Harry off his feet. Every single person in the room was on their feet, screaming and clapping their hands, some stamping their feet. Harry slowly made his way up to Dumbledore, who smiled proudly at him from the Head Table.
"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore began. "It is over. You have done well. I am so very proud of you. Your parents and Sirius would be too. Every single person in the entire wizarding world will be forever grateful to you."
"Thank you, sir," Harry said. "But I couldn't have done it without the support of everyone, especially Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley."
Dumbledore's smile suddenly turned sad. "Yes, a memory of a dear friend can last for a lifetime, and inspire and guide us in our time of need."
"Who're you calling a memory, old man?" Ron demanded, shoving people out of the way and finally reaching the Head Table. The look on Dumbledore's face was priceless, and Harry was positive he would never forget seeing the headmaster's jaw hit the floor. Ron began to explain, when suddenly the doors burst open and Hermione came barreling in, closely followed by Draco.
"Sir, we've received urgent news," she said hurriedly. She turned and looked sadly at Harry. "It's Remus…"
A/N: Sweet Merlin, I'm on a roll! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The story is almost over, but please stay tuned until the end. Review please!
Review replies:
Danu3: It's so good to know that I'm loved! Oh, btw, thanks for the comment about the whole purgatory thing. I wanted Harry to say something witty and almost mean to him, but I really didn't want him to say "See you in hell," because I don't want Harry to go to hell! But I'm glad to know that you pay attention to the story! Do I really have that many spelling errors? I'll work on fixing that. Thanks for the review!
