A very sincere apology for those who have waited for this. Writer's block crippled me for many months, and for that, I apologize. I also apologize for the countless errors that riddle this story (some of them are rather large). One day, I'll perhaps go back and fix them. Please try to enjoy this.

Chapter 34: The End

"May I have your attention, please," Dumbledore said during breakfast, rising from his chair. The Great Hall fell silent immediately. Harry squeezed his eyes shut; he knew what was coming. "As you all must have heard by now, one of our own has fallen. Lavender Brown was killed doing what she believed in. To her, we owe more than we shall ever truly comprehend. You may be asking yourselves why she died, and I plan to tell the truth. She died to save us all from the wrath of Lord Voldemort. She, along with her fellow Gryfindors, managed a victory against the Dark Lord, but be warned! He is merely subdued, and he shall try again. Be precautious, but do not be afraid. Have faith in the light, as Lavender did. I ask you all now to raise your goblets to a girl, a woman, who had an entire life ahead of her. A woman who followed her heart, a woman whose dreams and ambitions were cut short. A student, friend, and mentor who placed the safety of others before herself. I ask you to honor her. To Lavender Brown."

As the students raised their goblets they did not wipe away their tears. In one unanimous voice, the Great Hall echoed: "To Lavender Brown."

Harry was glad that he and Hermione had survived their fight. He could feel the tension between them as the days wore on, but he was nevertheless satisfied.

Hogwarts itself seemed dead and empty. The normal bustling of students wasn't heard throughout the corridors, the paintings didn't call out to passerby, and the common rooms were lifeless after sundown. The loss of Lavender Brown affected the school more so than the passing of Cedric. At least Cedric had died outside the safety of the walls of Hogwarts, while Lavender had been killed in the Great Hall. Mealtimes were short and quiet, with students speculating whether they were sitting on top of the spot where Lavender's body had lay so many nights ago. Homework was ceased and exams were cancelled, every student merely had to attend the lectures to pass. Not even Hermione complained about the lack of intellectual stimulation.

Ginny and Neville were rarely seen, they both spent most of their time together out on the grounds. It seemed that they felt comfortable with confiding only between one another. Ron could be found either in his bed or sitting alone in front of the fire. Harry knew that Ron wanted space, although he was able to talk if Harry needed him to. Harry knew Ron was the type that would rather be alone with his thoughts than talk about them with others.

Hermione and Harry spent much of their time together, though their conversations were strained. Harry felt overwhelming guilt about Lavender's death. Hermione knew that. She also knew it was useless to try to convince him that there was no blame to be put on him. Harry felt utterly stupid for his actions. He had led his fellow students to the Department of Mysteries and to Malfoy Manor; both instances went without tragedy. With a feeling of invincibility, Harry led them again to face the most powerful dark wizard in history. Hermione tried to keep their talks away from the subject of Lavender, but Harry would always bring it up.

Sitting under a tree on the Hogwarts grounds, Harry and Hermione stared at the lake. The giant squid lifted a tentacle over the surface of the water to pick up breadcrumbs thrown by the occasional student. The day was clear and sunny, but to Harry it felt cold and dreary.

"God, Hermione, I killed her. She is dead because of me."

"No, that's not true."

"Yes."

"No, Harry. Please listen to me," Hermione said clutching his hand within her own. "I know that this guilt you're carrying isn't going to leave you, but please understand that no one blames you for what happened. Not me, not Parvati, not even Lavender's parents. No one."

Harry shook his head.

"They blame me. They just won't say it to my face."

Hermione sighed.

"I honestly don't know what to do for you except to wait," she said. "Together, we can overcome this. Learn from it, and avenge her."

"I thought you said you weren't going to fight Voldemort with me," Harry said.

"I was lying." Harry looked at her, confused. "Of course I'll go with you. I'd follow you to the ends of the earth, but there is a time and a place. I just didn't want you rushing into things," she said. Without warning, Harry's eyes blurred with tears.

He wasn't sure of why he was crying, either for the loss of Lavender, the obstacles ahead, or the undying loyalty of the young woman sitting beside him. Perhaps it was a mixture of the three. "Oh, Harry," she said before grabbing him and holding him against her chest. Harry allowed himself to be rocked back and forth, and for his glasses to be pressed painfully into his nose by the force of Hermione's embrace. He felt no shame.

"Please don't leave me," he said, desperation in his voice. Harry felt a tear from Hermione drop on top on his head.

"I won't. Not ever," she promised.

For the first time in his life, Harry Potter knew that he was in love. He was both afraid and confident with this, and as the days crept by, he became aware that it was entirely possible for him to spend the rest of his life with the girl he had met when he was eleven years old. He was terrified, yet he was at peace.

Gryfindor House was deadly silent all the way up to the end of the year, which was only a short few weeks after Voldemort's attack. There was no end of year celebration, all of the students seemed eager to get home. Owls arrived daily from concerned parents; some students departed Hogwarts early, while others convinced their parents to allow them to remain till the end of term. Harry received an owl from Mr. and Mrs. Brown inviting him to Lavender's funeral. Neville, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron had received one as well. Harry suspected that Parvati would also be attending.

"Harry, if I could have a word," Dumbledore said to him during the final meal before getting aboard the Hogwarts Express. "Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville may come as well. Just come up to my office after you've all finished your breakfast."

A few minutes later, they arrived in Dumbledore's office where five chairs awaited them before his desk.

"Please, sit," his said indicating to the seats. They obeyed. "I realize how you must all feel right now. Alone but united. Each of you is dealing with the loss of a friend separately, and yet you all know that the people you are sitting with now are those whom you may trust with your lives. Before you depart for the real world again, I thought I'd tell you exactly what you had fought for that night. You were all aware of the Serpent's Stone, I trust. If it was not obvious, your mission to protect it was a success. Though it cannot be destroyed, I have had it stored in a safer place."

"Why put it in a school in the first place?" Neville interjected. Ginny placed a hand on his wrist, hearing the anger in his voice.

"I was foolish. You all know that Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world. I had not anticipated Voldemort to discover the location of the stone while classes were still in session. I apologize for my naivety. If I had not been so blind, Ms. Brown would still be alive today," Dumbledore said. Harry stared into the face of the man he had admired since first meeting him. He looked older and wearier than Harry had ever seen him. The guilt Harry felt, Harry realized, compared nothing to what Dumbledore was experiencing. Neville broke eye contact with the Headmaster, instead opting to look at his feet.

"I'm sorry, sir," Neville said. "I wasn't trying-"

"Save your apologies for those who deserve them," Dumbledore said. Dumbledore sighed before continuing. "The powers each of you possess are unparalleled to any I've seen in years. Your will to overcome evil is so strong that I believe defeating Voldemort is possible. There is much work to be done. Protecting the Serpent's Stone was just the beginning. Though Voldemort failed to raise an army of the dead, he will not stop. He shall recruit others to his cause, and he will undoubtedly succeed to some extent. Though you are all young, I know that it is up to you to stop him. I also know how ridiculous it must sound for me to say that to a bunch of teenagers. I would normally tell you to stop interfering with what should be work for the Ministry and the Order, but you never seem to listen to a word I say when it comes to these things."

They shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, remembering exactly how many times they had gone against the Headmaster.

"Do not be ashamed. It is I who should be. Though it was, let us say, less than wise to go to Malfoy Manor to rescue Mr. Percy Weasley, you were nonetheless successful. You all follow your instincts and your hearts; it is because of this that you all pursue to fight for our cause, despite all my efforts to protect you. It is with this, that I have decided to support you. All of you. I will give you information as it comes, and help you train. Until then, do try to enjoy your holiday."

Harry only became aware that the conversation had ended a few moments later. With a jolt, he stood with his friends and left without a word.

"Better get to the train," Ron said.

"Yeah," Neville agreed. "My gran would kill me if I missed it."

They laughed. The strain on their relationship had disappeared with Dumbledore's words. Once aboard the Hogwarts Express, they found a compartment together.

"Game of Exploding Snap, anyone?" Ron offered.

"Nah, I always get my eyebrows blown off," Neville said. "So what do you guys think about what Dumbledore said? Y'know, the part where he's going to train us and stuff."

"I don't know, I guess it'll be pretty cool. I mean, it would beat having to go behind his back all the time," Harry said.

"Yeah, but I don't want Ginny involved," Ron said.

"Hey! You're not the boss of me!" said Ginny.

"I'm your older brother, that has more power than being a boss. You have to do what I say," Ron said.

"I'm helping and that's final," Ginny said, crossing her arms for dramatic effect.

"Oh no you're not!"

"Oh yes I am!"

"NO!"

"What good is it trying to protect me in a world where no one is really safe? Shouldn't I be trained in case trouble comes for me instead of the other way around?" Ginny asked. Ron frowned, knowing that she was right. He grunted his defeat and returned to his pyramid of cards, which conveniently exploded to break up the pause in conversation.

"Nice one," Neville said as Ron rubbed the place his eyebrows once were. Ron forced a smile in embarrassment.

"Honestly, I don't see why you bother with such a game," Hermione said over her book.

"I don't see why you bother with all those books," Ron retorted.

"It's called an education, Ronald. Last I heard, they were important to have," she replied.

Harry was only vaguely aware of the conversation around him. His mind was spinning with thoughts of the life that lay before him. He, along with his friends that surrounded him, would soon be under the tutelage of Dumbledore. They were to learn to fight the darkest wizard to ever exist. Harry had trouble imagining the day that Voldemort would truly be defeated. Will there ever be such a day? A life without Voldemort…Harry felt a smile tugging at his lips. He glanced at Hermione. Yes, he could see such a day. In fact, he looked forward to it.

Once again, thank you very much for reading. I appreciate your reviews more than you will ever know. Because of them, I've realized the mistakes I've made, and most of them gave me a wonderful ego boost as well. This was my very first try at a fanfic, and I truly had no idea of where I wanted it to go. I made up the plot as I went (which is probably why there are so many errors), and I'm thrilled that it worked out as well as it did.