This is my first ever one-shot! I hope you all enjoy it. Just a little idea I had the other day. And for those of you who have been reading "Out of Sorrow Comes Joy" please know that I am going to finish it soon! I promise! Thanks and enjoy!
The sun began to peek over the horizon, spreading out rays of gold, orange, and red across the grounds of Hogwarts. The birds were chirping, the trees tilting slightly with the wind. Everything was as it should have been.
Almost everything, thought Harry Potter. He was looking at the morning sunrise from the window of the Gryffindor common room. But things weren't as they should've been. Yes, Voldemort had been defeated and good had prevailed. But was it worth the price...the injuries that had been sustained...the lives that had been lost? It was those questions that had kept him up all night.
He heard footsteps behind him and a sigh.
"You couldn't sleep either?" Hermione asked. He shook his head as she took a seat next to him. She cautiously placed a hand over his. "You ok?"
"For the moment."
"I understand," she said softly. "It doesn't seem real."
"We should be celebrating," he said, looking out the window once again.
"Yes, we probably should be. But it wouldn't be the same without..." she began, before a tear silently rolled down her cheek. Harry squeezed her hand gently and then turned his head in the direction of the stairs. He'd heard the familiar footsteps of his best friend, Ron.
Ron stepped into the common room and smiled slightly. "I guess we all couldn't sleep." He walked over and put his arm around Hermione. "We're gonna be ok, right?"
Harry looked to Hermione and then Ron. "We'll be alright. It's everyone else I'm worried about."
Ron looked out the window along with the other two. "Seems weird that it's such a nice morning."
"Why don't we enjoy it?" Hermione asked suddenly, getting to her feet. "Let's go for a walk. No one else is out. We can enjoy it by ourselves and try and get over some of the losses we've dealt with."
Ron and Harry looked at each other skeptically. Hermione sighed loudly. "Well, we're not doing anything here but feeling sorry for ourselves! The least we can do is go outside and feel sorry in the sunlight."
"Alright, Hermione. We're coming," Ron said as he and Harry followed her out the portrait hole.
They crossed the fields of Hogwarts, fresh memories surfacing of three nights before. It hadn't even been 72 hours since Voldemort had been defeated here, not even 72 hours since Harry had triumphed. Red still stained the green grass from where the blood had been shed. The Trio walked silently along the paths, each remembering the way they had battled, the spells they had fired, the friends they had seen fall.
Stopping at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, they looked back up at the castle. Sunlight spread over the bricks, casting a glow around the towers of the infamous building. Hermione furiously wiped away her tears.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't be crying."
"Hermione..." Ron began sympathetically.
"No! We survived! We've won! The three of us made it! What right do we have to feel sorry for ourselves?"
"Hermione, stop! We have just been through the worst event of probably our entire lives. We saw people die, Hermione! They were our friends, our teachers! You are allowed to be upset!" Harry yelled before sitting down roughly on a tree stump.
Hermione regained her composure and sat down next to him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.
Ron sat down as well and put his arm around her. "Don't be. That's what Harry's saying. We have nothing to be sorry for."
Hermione nodded and looked over at Harry. He put his arm around her as well and the three friends hugged briefly. Letting go, Harry looked up again, this time to the hill nearest Gryffindor Tower.
"Look.." he said. "Who is that?"
"I don't know," Ron said. "Let's go."
The three set out for the hill where a lone figure sat, sunlight drying fallen tears.
Quietly they reached the top of the hill, finding their Head of House, Professor Minerva McGonagall. She was sitting on a marble bench, her back facing them.
Hermione looked to both boys, silently asking one of them to say something. Both shook their heads so she took a cautious step forward.
"Professor?" she asked quietly.
Minerva jumped slightly and quickly wiped her eyes before turning to face the Trio.
"Miss Granger...gentleman...is there something I can help you with?"
"We were just out for a walk...and we didn't know who was up here," Hermione explained. "We didn't mean to disturb you."
They turned to leave but Minerva stopped them. "No, you haven't disturbed me. I guess I was not the only one who could not sleep last night," she replied, her voice much softer than normal.
"No, Professor."
They were all silent for a moment before Harry noticed what their Professor had been looking at.
"Professor, can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to," he said.
"Of course, Mr. Potter."
"Do you think Professor Dumbledore would want us to celebrate?"
She turned back to the tombstone and smiled. "Of course he would. He would be very upset with all of us if he knew we were not right at this very moment."
The Trio smiled, knowing how much their former Headmaster enjoyed celebrations and parties.
"He was very proud of all three of you. He asked me to tell you that," she said. "I'm sorry I hadn't gotten the chance to before today."
"Professor..." Hermione began, not wanting to upset her favorite teacher further. Minerva held up a hand.
"It is alright, Miss Granger. I am able to talk about it. He said that the three of you were the best students he had ever encountered in his years at Hogwarts. And he said to make sure all of you were safe. But, you took care of that on your own," she said, smiling slightly.
"Thank you, Professor," Ron said sincerely.
An awkward silence fell upon the four Gryffindors as they each faced their own thoughts. Harry once again read the inscription on the tombstone and blinked. Were those words correct?
"Professor?" he asked.
"Yes?" she replied, turning back to face him.
"Professor Dumbledore was married?"
She smiled before looking back at the inscription: Loving Husband, Father, Teacher, and Friend. "Yes, he was."
"But, he never said anything," Harry replied.
"No, they both wished that it be kept a secret. It would be too dangerous for his family if it was known he was a happily married man. Grindewald and Voldemort would have tried to defeat him by killing his family first," she explained.
"Is his wife still alive?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, she is."
"And she was at the funeral?"
Minerva nodded. "She and their children."
"How many do they have?" Ron asked.
"They have one son and one daughter."
"How come they weren't introduced or they didn't say anything?" Hermione asked. "Voldemort has been defeated. They have nothing to fear anymore."
"That is very true Miss Granger. However, they wished it to remain a secret. It would have placed the spotlight on the family instead of Professor Dumbledore. That is not what he wanted," Minerva explained.
"That is so sad. I wish we would have known," Hermione said softly.
"It is quite alright, Miss Granger. They all survived the battle and will now continue Professor Dumbledore's work. That is what he wanted."
"Did they battle here?" Harry asked.
"Yes, they did."
"I know there were many people here but you would think we would have noticed them," he said thoughtfully.
"Oh, I'm sure you saw them, Mr. Potter. You've seen them many times, well, Professor Dumbledore's wife at least."
"Really?" Hermione asked. "Can you tell us who she is? I would love to tell her all Professor Dumbledore did for us."
"She knows, Miss Granger. She knows," Minerva said, tears flooding her eyes.
"Professor, are you..." Hermione began to ask if she was alright but was cut off by the sound of footsteps behind them.
"Mother...Mother, are you up here?"
A middle-aged wizard and witch reached the top of the hill and seeing the scene before them, they stopped suddenly.
"Oh...I mean, Professor McGonagall. Sorry. Have you seen..."
"It is alright, Brian. I think that we can trust these three," she said smiling at a wide-eyed Hermione. She started to stand as the younger witch hurried over to help her. After having suffered some severe injuries, she was back to relying on a walking stick for the time being. Brian came over and held out his arm which she took gratefully.
"Anna talked to Poppy. They are ready for us," Brian said, referring to the upcoming celebration naming Professor McGonagall Headmistress of Hogwarts.
"Fine. I trust you three will be along shortly," she said to the Trio.
"Of course, Professor," Harry answered, still in shock himself.
Minerva nodded and let her children lead her away. The Trio looked after them until they were down the hill. Hermione turned to Harry and Ron.
"Did that just happen?" she asked, her voice shaking a little.
"What?" Ron asked, obviously confused.
"I can't believe it..." Harry said. "We never knew."
"It makes sense, though, doesn't it?" Hermione asked.
"What makes sense? What's going on?" Ron asked.
"Ron, don't you get it?" Hermione asked, frustrated at his lack of romance.
"Get what?" he asked honestly.
"Oh Ronald!" she sighed, throwing her hands in the air.
"Harry..." Ron said to his best friend, "What is she talking about?"
"Come on, let's go to the celebration. I'll explain on the way," Harry said.
The three friends turned once more to look at the tombstone and then turned towards Hogwarts. They slowly walked back to the castle, Harry explaining what had happened to Ron, and Hermione quietly wondering how such a love story could have remained a secret for so long.