Chapter 26: Reunions

Harry turned away from the fading flames at the sound of the opening doors. He saw his mentor and friend limp into the Great Hall, visibly bleeding from several wounds in different places. Alarm came over Harry's face as he rushed to his mentor and put Sean's left arm around his neck so that he wouldn't have to put any weight onto his wounded foot.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"I am wounded pretty badly" Sean said, "but put the ashes away first."

"Yes master" Harry answered.

After a few moments, all that was left of the Dark Lord was a pile of ashes. Harry transfigured a dinner plate into an urn and then used the wingardium leviosa charm to levitate the ashes into the urn. He then sealed it and asked Sean to hold it for him so that he could get him out.

"We need to find the faculty, the doctor Madam Pomfrey will know what to do."

Sean nodded and let Harry carry him out into the night air, leaving his weapons in the Great Hall.

Harry figured that the faculty would have gone out to help the members of the Order of the Phoenix fight off Voldemort's remaining minions. As they made their way toward the main gate, Harry looked over to see that Sean had passed out.

"Oh God no" Harry yelled as he laid down Sean to check for a pulse, when he found one, he breathed a sigh of relief and began to carry Sean in his arms.

"Please don't die," Harry pleaded to the unconscious figure cradled in his arms, "I have the rest of my life to live now, and I would like for one mentor to be with me for it."

Harry began to run as fast as he could (which wasn't too fast after his ordeal with Voldemort) towards the gate and saw a large group of people standing around the gate area.

At first he tensed up and contemplated drawing his sword in preparing to fight. Then he saw the familiar form of Rubius Hagrid and relaxed as he ran forward. He didn't want to stop and talk to anyone due to the urgency of the issue at hand.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Harry yelled desperately as he drew closer to the crowd.

"Oh God, Sean," the familiar voice of Bill Weasley said as he ran to Harry and took Sean from him.

"Is he dead?" Bill asked Harry.

"He's just unconscious" Harry answered, "but he needs to be treated right away."

Bill found Madam Pomfrey and the two of them rushed away to the hospital wing.

The crowd looked in silence at Harry as he walked around to survey the situation. He saw many familiar faces, Hagrid stood out the most, he also saw Moody, Slughorn, Tonks, and McGonagall among others. None of them made a move to talk to Harry, they were talking about what they had seen earlier. They were thinking of his appearance, his short hair and toned muscular physique, how he was dressed, and that he had obviously defeated Lord Voldemort.

He stopped at McGonagall and asked her a question, "where is everybody?"

"Harry?" she said in a tone of disbelief as she looked at the stripling warrior who stood before her.

"Yes Headmistress," he replied calmly, "It's me."

McGonagall and the others all stared wide-eyed and open mouthed at Harry. After a few moments, McGonagall answered him.

"Miss Granger and Miss Weasley were instructed to take the students into the different common rooms and to wait there until notified otherwise."

Harry asked one more question of McGonagall, "What's the password for the Gryffindor common room?"

McGonagall answered with a quiet voice that still contained disbelief, "Honeydukes."

"Thank you" Harry answered politely, "by your leave…"

"Go on" McGonagall said to Harry, "you should take some rest," Harry nodded and was off.

Harry walked at a moderately slow pace, he was tired from the duel with Voldemort and Sean had the urn, so he was empty handed. He walked down toward the stairwells. He needed to make sure that she was okay; he needed to see his Hermione, the anchor who had kept him down to Earth while Sean's training had pushed him over the edge.

He came to the stairwell and waited patiently for it to come to the path to the Gryffindor common room. When it did, he stepped off and walked to the portrait of the fat lady.

"Is it over" she asked Harry as he stopped in front of the portrait.

"The worst of it is," he answered remembering that he still had to dispose of the ashes of the horcruxes and Voldemort's remains. "Honeydukes."

Hermione Granger was still on edge. The whole night had not been conducive to peace and serenity. After the noise had died down outside, she had sent the others to bed and volunteered to stand guard in case anything else happened. Ginny had volunteered to come and take over for Hermione if she needed a rest. She sat in the same chair she had occupied earlier, but she couldn't sleep, she stayed up and was sometimes pacing thinking about Harry and praying for his safety. She then heard the portrait hall open up.

She tensed as she heard a lone figure's footsteps coming up the stairs, slowly, but methodically. As slow as the person was moving, about one step every two seconds, she didn't think it could be Harry because she had imagined him running up the stairs to her. She was determined not to let whatever Death Eater was coming up see her crying or afraid. She brandished her wand and stood up to face the intruder.

"Stop! Don't move!" she belted out to the figure as he opened the door and made his way toward her.

She could not see very well because of the low light. The figure took out a wand and lit a fire in the fireplace without saying any charms.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked as she was beginning to make out features on the figure moving towards her.

She could see that he was six feet tall, and that he had very short hair, as he came closer Hermione could see blood on his clothes. He said nothing as he continued to move forward slowly and patiently. Hermione couldn't explain it, but she was beginning to feel less and less concerned about the figure moving toward her.

"Hermione," the figure said quietly as he stepped into the light of the fireplace, revealing his face, body, and jet-black hair. "It's me."

"Harry?" Hermione asked as she looked the figure over.

She saw the toned muscular physique, the black tank top and pants, the sword at the figure's left, the very short hair in a crew cut, the familiar glasses and lightning-shaped scar above his right eye. She caught her breath as she reached forward to feel the scar. They were now only inches apart and Hermione could hear his breathing, she gently removed his glasses to look into his emerald green eyes.

"It is you" Hermione said quietly, just above a whisper.

She became lost in his eyes and he in hers as they came closer and closer until their lips met in a slow, and passionate kiss. They didn't wait long before deepening the kiss, and they both poured all their feelings into it. All the longing for and missing the other, all the anxiety, and now all the love that they had for each other were pouring out of them and into each other. Hermione moaned in pleasure and delight as Harry turned it into an open-mouth kiss. Hermione pushed Harry against the wall as they became even more engrossed in each other. Their breath became more heated as they kissed even more passionately.

After a few minutes they parted for air. They were both breathing harder and faster as they looked at each other lovingly and Harry brought his forehead down to rest on Hermione's. Hermione had so much she wanted to ask and so much she wanted to know about what had been going on since they had parted company. But she knew that could wait, right now she was content to snog her true love senseless.

"Are you tired?" Harry asked the young witch in front of him.

"I can stay up a little longer," she said not wanting to leave her Harry or end this beautiful moment.

Harry looked at Hermione, and then noticed the glare coming from her left wrist.

"You're still wearing the bracelet I gave you" Harry said as he brought a few of his fingers to touch the charm on his love's wrist.

"I never take it off," she said to him, "except when I bathe because I couldn't stand it if I lost or damaged it."

Harry looked at her and then realized just how tired he was.

"Could you please get me a blanket, I think I will sleep out here on the couch tonight, I don't want to wake Seamus, Dean, or Ron" Harry politely asked.

"Of course" Hermione answered.

She decided to change while she was getting the blanket and pillow and changed from her robes to a modest nightgown. When she came back with a fairly thick quilt and fluffy pillow for Harry, she found that he had taken off the black tank top and boots he had been wearing, put his glasses back on, and was settling himself in on the couch. She knelt beside the couch where Harry had moved the back cushions away and was now lying on his back.

She paused as she got near to him, she could see just how toned and muscular he had become. His arms were strong now, not extremely buffed, but very well toned and solid. His chest was firm and strong, and he now sported a washboard stomach of six-pack abs.

"What happened to your hair?" Hermione asked Harry.

"The Knights always get it cut this way after they finish with training."

"So you are a Knight now," Hermione asked in a calm and almost seductive tone as she ran her fingers over his head through his now short hair, "like Sean?"

Harry answered her with confidence, "I completed the training for it, but I wasn't required to make an oath to the Order of St. George."

The next thing Hermione noticed was the crucifix brand on Harry's chest.

"My God!" she exclaimed as she took her hand away from his hair and jumped back slightly, "what is that, did it hurt?!"

Harry gently took Hermione's hand before answering, "This is the mark of passing the final test, and a mark that symbolizes inward and outward commitment to the cause of the Order of St. George, and it hurt like Hell…but I endured it" he said the last part with a bit of pride.

Hermione calmed herself and smiled at him, she wanted to ask him so much more, "What test are you…" Harry gently put a finger to Hermione's lips to silence her.

"I've been through a lot," he began, "I want to sleep."

Hermione got a disappointed but understanding look on her face and got up to leave, but she felt a hand lightly grab her wrist. She looked back at Harry, who had risen to his feet, with a confused look.

"I said I want to sleep," Harry said to Hermione, "not that I want you to leave."

It only took Hermione a moment to figure out what he meant by this. She resisted the urge to squeal in delight as a big smile came to her face. She settled for jumping into Harry's arms and wrapping her legs around his waist as he held her close, never wanting to let her go.

Hermione wouldn't release her hold on Harry, so Harry put the pillow on the couch and brought the quilt up as he lay down onto the couch. Hermione began to settle on the couch and lay on her left side against the back of it. Harry lay down on his back and brought the quilt over the two of them. After he had laid down, Hermione put her left arm between Harry and the pillow, she then rested her right hand on the left side of his firm and strong chest. She then settled her head over his chest where she could hear his heart beat, their legs intertwining at the bottom of the couch. They both took deep, satisfied breaths before Harry spoke.

"I love you Hermione," he said to her after they had settled into their chosen sleeping positions.

"And I love you Harry," Hermione responded, "now and forever."

They shared a brief kiss on the lips, Harry took off his glasses and tossed them onto a nearby footrest, and then the two of them dozed off happier then either of them had ever been.

Madam Pomfrey motioned for Bill to place Sean O'Sullivan's body onto one of the beds in the hospital wing. Bill was quick to listen and obey, he was worried for his friend but trusted in Madam Pomfrey's abilities. Madam Pomfrey quickly removed Sean's shirt and pants to examine the wounds that were all over his body. As she did so, Bill watched with concern, he wanted his friend to survive so that the two of them could celebrate the great victory they had achieved. Harry had destroyed the Dark Lord, Sean had killed the head vampire, and Bill had killed the head werewolf. For all intents and purposes, the war was all but over, the only factor was Wormtail, and Bill didn't believe he would be much of a threat.

After Madam Pomfrey had obviously finished her examination, Bill spoke to her in a tone that reflected calm concern.

"Will he live?" he asked to the doctor in front of him, who was now starting to clean her patient's wounds.

"It's too early to say" she responded grimly, "I can tend to most of these wounds easily enough."

She paused as she gestured to his left foot, which was sporting a hole in the middle that went all the way through.

"But he's lost a lot of blood, and I'm not sure if there's anything we can do about the more serious ones."

"Don't you have any potions that can replenish the blood he's lost?" Bill asked with a raised voice.

"I have potions," Pomfrey answered, "but he has to be awake to take them and I don't know if he is going to regain consciousness…he has to want to live."

Bill remembered that Sean had said that he did not expect to survive his fight with the head vampire, he wondered if Sean wanted to continue living after he had accomplished what he had chosen as his destiny.

Bill walked over to where Sean lay on the bed. While Madam Pomfrey began to clean the wounds on Sean's lower body, focusing especially on his left foot, Bill spoke to the unconscious form of his best friend.

"Hey Sean, so now that you've destroyed the head vampire and taught Harry what he needed to know to defeat the Dark Lord, I guess you think that there's no more purpose for you here."

Bill paused after this and wondered what more he could say to Sean to hopefully convince him to stay.

"But, I have the rest of my life ahead of me, and I want you to be there for it. Fleur and I want children, we want a family, and I want our children to know you, I want you to be their godfather. I know that the world needs you, there are too few people like you who are brave enough to do the right thing and skilled enough to make a difference."

Bill paused before continuing, "and you know that my sister fancies you…stay for my sister, perhaps you could be my children's uncle as well as godfather."

Sean had lost consciousness, but inside his mind there was a battle going on. One part of him wanted to give up and surrender to the eternities, leaving this world. Another part of him struggled to hold onto his life, that part reasoned that the only way to completely defeat the head vampire was to survive and live a good and virtuous life. It was a toss-up as to which side would win.

Then, Sean heard Bill speak four words that made Sean want to fight for survival, "stay for my sister." He was then filled with a new desire, the desire and will to survive and live for the future that his beloved parents would have wanted for him.

"Excuse me" Madam Pomfrey said to Bill, "but you should leave now, I have to dress the rest of his wounds and you should take some rest."

Bill knew better than to argue with the doctor, having stayed a few nights in the hospital wing himself when he was a student at Hogwarts.

"When can I come back and see him?"

"I will stay up and do my best to see that he is in stable condition," Madam Pomfrey responded, "come by in the morning and check with me then."

Bill nodded and excused himself. He walked back to where the faculty, Knights, and Order members had gathered.

"How does it look?" McGonagall asked Bill with concern in her voice as Tristan, John, who was eating some chocolate, and David listened intently.

"It's hard to say" Bill replied, "Madam Pomfrey says that he's lost a lot of blood and that some of his more serious wounds could kill him."

Bill stopped at this and had an obvious tone of worry in his voice.

"I suggest that you take some rest Mr. Weasley" McGonagall said to him. "You will be staying in the faculty dormitory, sharing a room with Professor Shacklebolt."

"Professor?" Bill asked with confusion and wonder in his voice.

"Yes," McGonagall answered, "Kinglsey has graciously agreed to fill the post of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts."