Thank you, damariam, for being the first to ever leave me a review

Thank you, MattD12027, for providing unofficial beta services and very helpful comments, as well as for naming Anna Conway

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I write this purely for fun. I make absolutely no money off this story. Please don't sue me.

The Savior of the Wizarding World
Chapter 4 – Meeting the Minister

Hermione put down her book with a sigh. When she had picked up the book she had been looking for something to distract her mind, but the only book in sight had been Magical Cooking: 101 Recipes for Feeding Hungry Witches and Wizards, which Mrs. Weasley had probably brought with her from home, and it just wasn't doing the job. She had too much on her mind.

First of all there was Ginny. Hermione gazed across the empty room at the red-headed girl laying on the bed. She found it so hard to reconcile the vibrant, energetic, always full of life Ginny Weasley in her mind with the pale, motionless girl before her. She wasn't as close to Ginny as she was with Ron or Harry, but she was her only real girl friend. She just couldn't believe she was actually going to die. Her mind knew it on some level, but she found it nearly impossible to accept.

And then there was Harry. In all the years she'd known him she couldn't ever remember seeing him as he was now. He looked broken, he looked like he had been shattered and would never be put together again. It was normal, considering what had just happened, but she was concerned. Harry never did anything halfway, he saw everything in terms of absolutes. Losing Ginny could destroy him, and Hermione was determined to find ways to keep that from happening.

Part of her was also trying to understand what happened during the fight with Voldemort. She didn't understand how Harry had been able to do the things he said he did. She didn't understand what Professor Dumbledore had meant about love being Harry's power. She hated not understanding. What she really wanted was to go home and get her textbooks. She wanted to pour through them all until she found something to explain what had happened and what love had to do with it. She felt a smile come to her face when she imaged what Ron would say if she admitted she wanted to do nothing but read her textbooks…

Ron. He was there, looming over all the other thoughts racing through her mind. All of the excuses she had convinced herself of over the years – they couldn't risk their friendship, it was too dangerous, it would distract them from what they needed to do – none of them seemed to matter now that Voldemort was dead. Well, no, that wasn't true. They would still be risking their friendship, but what was a life without risk?

Hermione blinked in surprise at herself. She wasn't sure where that last thought had come from. She had never been one to go about taking unnecessary risks, it was irresponsible to do that. Maybe all these years hanging around Ron and Harry have finally rubbed off on me. Or maybe it's a necessary risk…

She blinked in surprise yet again, unsure of where all these thoughts were coming from. She never had this much trouble controlling her own thoughts in the past. But now something was different. She had felt it when Ron gave her that hug last night, but that wasn't where it started. If she was honest with herself she knew exactly when their relationship had changed. They had both danced around their feelings for months, years actually, but neither had even come close to admitting them to the other. Until last night, that is…

- - - - -

After a few seconds of shocked silence Harry turned to Hermione, who was staring at the door Ron just left through with a torn expression on her face. "What's with him?" he asked.

"I don't know," Hermione sighed, still looking at the door. "But I can guess. I think he feels bad about not being able to do anything. I mean, I do too. I feel terrible about it," she said, finally looking at Harry. "We were so useless! But I think it's worse for him. His sister got hurt and he wasn't able to do anything."

"Oh." A pause. "Hermione, you weren't…"

She waved her hand at him, looking at the door again and biting her lip. "I know. I know, in my mind. But it will take awhile to really believe it. But it's worse for Ron." She trailed off, still staring at the door. She was really worried about Ron but somebody needed to stay with Harry. She had never felt so conflicted before.

"Go after him," she heard Harry say quietly.

She looked down at him. "He'll be ok. Somebody should stay with you, and everybody else is at St. Mungo's with Ginny," she protested weakly.

"Hermione, I'm ok." She fixed him with a glare. "Well, no, I'm not" he added quickly when he saw her glare. "But I really need some time to be alone. Please? Go after him. He needs you."

Hermione felt a rush of love for Harry. Not the same kind of love she knew she felt for Ron, even if she wasn't ready to admit it yet, even to herself, but love nonetheless. He was such a good friend. Even with all he was going through right now he showed more concern for his friends than himself. She smiled at him. "I'm so glad you woke up, Harry. We were so worried. I love you so much!" she said, throwing her arms around him.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed. She smiled, knowing she was embarrassing him, and pulled back. "I mean that, you're like a brother to me." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon, and I'll bring Ron with me." She straightened up, walked over to the door, pulled it open, and stepped outside.

She didn't have to go far. She found Ron a few steps down the hall sitting with his back up against the wall. He had his knees pulled up to his chest and his head buried in his hands. She stood there for a moment before speaking.

"Ron?" No answer. "Ron?" Again, no answer. "Ron, please…"

"Go away," she heard him mumble into his hands.

Ignoring him, she did just the opposite. She walked the few remaining steps between them and sat down next to him. She stared at him for a long minute but he didn't look up, speak, or even move to acknowledge her presence. She tentatively reached out and touched his shoulder.

Ron flinched away. "Go away," he mumbled again, still not looking up. She again ignored him and put her hand on his shoulder a second time. "I said GO AWAY!" he roared, lifting his head finally to glare at her.

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat when she saw his face. There was a tear running down his cheek, and that in itself was shocking. Ron just didn't cry. But it was the intensity of emotions in his eyes that captivated her. She could see pain, sadness, and something else… shame? After a few seconds Ron put his head back down into his hands.

"Ron, look at me," Hermione urged softly. When he didn't answer she reached out and gently lifted his head until he was looking at her. She took it as a good sign that he didn't flinch away from her touch this time. She said nothing as they stared into each others' eyes. She didn't want to push him, knowing he would speak when he was ready. That was something she had figured out over the years with Ron, if you tried to push him to do something it would just drive him to do the opposite.

"I should be the one they put in Azkaban, not Harry," he said at last. Hermione just looked at him, waiting for him to continue. When she didn't say anything he kept going. "I just stood there and let it all happen. I let him hurt Ginny. I let him hurt Harry. I let him hurt you…" he stopped, his voice choking with emotion. When it became apparent he wasn't going to say anymore Hermione finally spoke.

"Should I be put in Azkaban then?" she asked.

Ron looked at her like she was crazy. "What? Of course not!" he exclaimed.

"Than why should you?" Ron started to answer but she interrupted him. "I did exactly what you did, Ron. I saw Voldemort for the first time and everything – EVERYTHING – I knew went right out the window. I thought I was ready, I thought I was prepared, able to face him. I thought I knew exactly what I would do when the moment finally came. But when I finally came face-to-face with him, I froze. I couldn't do anything. Part of his power was his ability to inspire terror in those around him. I knew that and I still couldn't do anything. So if I don't deserve Azkaban, why do you?"

Ron shook his head. "It's not the same," he argued. "Ginny… my sister… she's my baby sister! It was my job to protect her! It was my job to protect you!"

"It was all of our jobs to…"

"No, you don't understand!" Ron interrupted. "Ginny is going to die because I stood there and did nothing! NOTHING! And you…" he choked back a sob and went quiet for a few seconds. "I let him hurt you," he whispered.

"Ginny is hurt because of Voldemort, not because of you," Hermione said quietly, unable to echo Ron's words that Ginny was going to die. "And you didn't let him do anything to me," she added.

Ron shook his head again. "You still don't understand," he said. "I… you… I swore I'd never let him hurt the people I love. And not only did Ginny get hurt, but you did too. I… I couldn't protect the two girls I love most. I'm a bloody failure…"

Hermione's eyes widened as she heard what he said. She looked into his eyes, wondering if he was saying what she thought he was saying. "Oh Ron," she said, reaching out to cup his cheek. He tried to flinch away but she wouldn't let him. She leaned towards him and looked into his eyes. "You're not a failure. You're one of the most loyal and brave men I know." She continued to stare into his eyes, losing herself in the intensity of his gaze. She felt herself leaning closer to him…

"Did you hear that?" she asked, sitting upright quickly. "It sounds like Madam Pomfrey yelling!" Both she and Ron jumped up, putting aside what had almost happened in order to see that everything was ok. She grabbed his hand and the two of them raced back to the infirmary.

- - - - -

"Where is everybody?"

Hermione was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Harry's voice. She looked up and saw him standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, what did you say?" she asked.

"I asked where everybody was," he said.

Hermione looked around the hospital room, empty except for the two of them and, of course, Ginny. "Oh. Mr. Weasley had to go to work, he wasn't able to get any more time off. He managed to convince Mrs. Weasley to go home and get some rest, but she probably won't stay away for more than a few hours. Ron went back to our flat to shower and change his clothes."

"Oh," said Harry in response. He sat down in the same chair he slept in the night before and stared at Ginny for a few minutes. Hermione didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say to him. "So where were you just now?" he asked suddenly.

"Huh?" She looked at him in confusion. "I've been here the whole…"

"No, no," he said, waving his hand in dismissal. "You looked a million miles away when I walked in. What were you thinking about?"

Hermione blushed, and then chastised herself for blushing. Get a hold of yourself! You're acting like a lovesick puppy!

She didn't say anything but her blush must have given her away because Harry smiled and asked, "Any idea when Ron is coming back?"

"Right now, mate," said a voice from the door as Ron walked in. "Been back awhile?" he asked as he plopped down in a chair.

"No, I've only been here a minute or two," he said. He scowled as he thought about his trip back, a scowl which the others noticed.

"Everything all right?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I just had a hard time getting from the floo back to this room."

"What? You and Hermione were both supposed to be added to the list of visitors allowed to be here at any time," Ron said with a frown. "I took care of it before I left."

"Oh," Harry said. "No, not that. But… thank you," he added, touched by the fact Ron had even thought to do something like that. "No, I was attacked by the press the second I got here. Somebody must have tipped them off that I'm here," he said, scowling for the second time.

"You know, you're going to have to face them eventually," Hermione said gently.

Harry directed his scowl at her for a few seconds but dropped it when he realized she was right. He sighed. "Yeah, I know. Just… not yet," he said. Hermione nodded, content with his answer.

"What did Madam Pomfrey say?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked up at her, not answering right away. What did Madam Pomfrey say? He was still struggling to process everything he had learned in his conversation with her. Hermione, however, misunderstood his silence.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed. "You're ok, aren't you? I mean, you're not…"

"I'm fine," he interrupted her.

She gave him a suspicious look. "You always say that," she said.

Harry chucked, realizing she was right. "Yeah, I guess I do. But really, I'm fine."

"So she checked you over and everything?" Hermione asked, still not convinced.

"Yes," he lied. For some reason he just didn't want to tell anyone what he had learned about his injuries, and about what he had learned about Dumbledore. He wanted to understand it better before talking about it with anybody. "It's just," he continued, remembering the other thing he had learned today, "Madam Pomfrey is leaving. She's retiring. It kind of caught me by surprise."

"Is she really that old?" Ron immediately asked. "She doesn't seem old enough to retire."

Harry nodded. "That's what I thought. Actually," he added with a sheepish grin, "that's what I told her."

Hermione sighed. "You'd think boys never learned the definition of 'tact,'…" she muttered to herself but loud enough for the others to hear.

"Yeah, well, anyway," he said, giving Hermione a mock glare. "She said she was older than I might think. She told me she's been at Hogwarts longer than anyone but Professor Dumbledore."

"She really doesn't look that old. I had no idea," Hermione said thoughtfully.

Harry nodded again. "Yeah. But she said that wasn't why she was leaving…" he paused, suddenly realizing Madam Pomfrey had shared some very private thoughts with him. It wasn't his place to tell Ron and Hermione everything she had told him. "She just wants to rest now that the war is over. I think she feels worn out from it all," Harry said, deciding that part of it wasn't too personal.

For the next hour the three of them sat and talked quietly. They didn't really discuss anything in particular. Instead they mostly made small talk, all three of them seeming to abide by some unspoken agreement not to discuss anything important. With Ginny right there with him it almost felt like it was the way things used to be. Until they looked over at her and were reminded of her current condition, that is, but for the most part Ron and Hermione tried to avoid doing that. Harry, however, could barely take his eyes off her for more than a few seconds at a time, and as time went on he withdrew further and further from the conversation.

After a lull in the conversation lasting a few minutes, Hermione, who had been shooting anxious glances at Harry and awkward glances at Ron for awhile now, stood up. "Well, I think I'm going to go home for a little while," she said.

Ron looked up from the Quidditch magazine he had been reading. "Oh, can you grab my…"

"No," Hermione interrupted. "I mean home. To see my parents."

"Oh," Ron said, his eyes wide with surprise.

Harry looked up as well, pulling himself out of his thoughts for a few minutes. Hermione had avoided the subject of her parents ever since she went home last year to tell them she wouldn't be going back to Hogwarts for her last year. She had come back in a foul mood, mumbling things under her breath Ron and Harry had been shocked to hear come from her mouth, and then refused to speak about it afterwards. Eventually the two of them had just let it go, realizing they weren't going to get her to talk about it. Although Harry never admitted it he felt guilty about whatever had happened. If it wasn't for him Hermione would have gone back to school and avoided whatever fight with her parents he had caused. Hearing her mention her parents for the first time in several months brought back the guilt in a sudden rush. "I'm sorry," he blurted out.

Hermione looked at him with raised eyebrows. "For what?" she asked.

"For… everything," he said with a sweep of his hands. "I don't know what happened, but obviously your parents didn't like the fact that you weren't going back to school. You would have gone back if not for me. It's my fault you got into a fight with them."

Hermione let out a sigh and opened her mouth to speak, but Ron beat her to it. There was a hint of anger in his voice. "Look, I'm only going to tell you this once. We made our own choices and we knew the consequences. I don't want to hear you apologize to either of us ever again. We decided to stick by you. We decided to take the risk and accept the consequences."

"Ginny didn't," Harry mumbled. Ron paused, his mouth still open, unable to respond to that.

"Harry," Hermione said as she sat back down. "I told them about Voldemort. Not about the Horcruxes or about what we were going to be doing, just about Voldemort. I had always lied in the past and told them he wasn't a big deal because I was afraid they'd try to pull me out of Hogwarts if they learned how dangerous he really was. But last summer I told them the truth. They were really angry at me for lying to them. And then when I added in that I wasn't going back to school because I was going to help in the fight against Voldemort – that's all I told them, basically the same thing Ron told his Mum, that we were going to help fight against him and that I couldn't tell her where we were going to be living – well, they pretty much blew up. We had a huge row.

"I've never fought with them like that before, it was terrible. We all said some pretty horrible things. I ended up just leaving, right in the middle of our argument when I couldn't take it anymore. I haven't talked to them since."

For a few seconds there was silence as Ron and Harry thought about what Hermione said. It was finally an answer to a question both of them had wondered for nearly a year.

"It wasn't your fault, Harry," Hermione said. "We fought because I lied, not because I was going off to help you fight Voldemort. I shouldn't have lied to them, but, judging from their reaction when they finally found out the truth, I'm not sure it was such a bad idea."

Harry nodded in reply. He still felt guilty that he had kept Hermione from her parents for nearly a year, Ron too, for that matter, but he knew they would both just argue with him if he tried to apologize again. So he didn't say anything.

Hermione stood back up. "Anyway, now that it's all over… I just figured it's time I go talk to them. I don't know how it's going to go. I might just be going back to pick up a bunch of stuff I left there. I really don't know…" she trailed off. She shook her head. "Oh, listen to me, I'm rambling. All right, I'm just going to get this over with."

"Good luck," Ron said.

Hermione walked to the door and then turned around. "Thanks, Ron," she said. She looked at Harry for a few seconds, watching him stare at Ginny. Then she looked over at Ron and met his eye for a second before he blushed and looked away. With a great sigh she left the room.

"Want to play a game of chess?" Ron asked.

Harry didn't answer. He didn't even look up.

"Guess not," Ron mumbled.

- - - - -

"Harry, wake up."

Harry groaned.

"Wake up!"

Harry groaned again and attempted to swat away whatever it was that was poking him.

"That's it, time to break out the big guns. SLYTHERIN'S GOING TO WIN THE QUIDDITCH MATCH!"

Harry jumped up and looked around, his eyes bleary with sleep. "What?" he mumbled. "Did somebody say something about Slytherin?"

Bill Weasley chuckled. "I had a feeling that would wake you up," he said. "It always used to work for Charlie."

As he started to wake up more Harry became more aware of his surroundings. He was still in the hospital room, he must have fallen asleep in the chair next to Ginny's bed. It was much darker in the room now that no light was coming in from the window, making Harry realize he had slept for several hours if it was dark out now. Bill and Fleur stood nearby, Ron was standing near the door, and Charlie was in the corner of the room.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Late," said Bill. "Nearly midnight."

"Midnight…" Harry repeated. The last he remembered it had been early afternoon and he had been sitting next to Ginny's bed, alternating between feeling completely numb and feeling overwhelmed with emotion. "I guess I fell asleep," he said.

"Yeah, everybody's exhausted," Bill said. "Mum's been asleep all day, she must have been really tired. Look, the three of us," he said while gesturing to himself, Fleur, and Charlie, "are going to stay tonight. You and Ron should go home."

"No," Harry said instantly. "I want to stay."

"You're exhausted, Harry. So is Ron. Go home."

Harry frowned. "I think I'll stay here, thanks."

Charlie took a step forward, scowling at Harry, but Ron spoke first. "What good is staying here going to do?" he asked. "Do you think Ginny wants you to kill yourself trying to stay here all the time?"

Harry opened his mouth to argue, then shut it. He knew the answer to that question, but he still had to stay. He was trying to figure out how to explain it when Bill spoke again.

"Look, you've been out of it all week, so you don't know how we've been doing things. We've been taking turns staying here with her. Nobody can stay all the time. So we take turns so she's never alone. Go get some rest, Harry. You need it," Bill urged.

Harry looked at Ginny for a long minute before finally relenting. "Fine," he sighed. "But I'm coming back in the morning."

Bill nodded. "Just as long as you get some rest tonight, ok?"

Harry nodded. He walked over to join Ron at the door, but stopped and turned back to look at Ginny again. Bill had sat down in the chair recently vacated by Harry while Fleur bustled about the room, making comments about how dreadful hospital rooms were and how the room needed a bit of cheer. But Charlie, he hadn't moved. He was still standing near one corner of the room, the deepest of scowls on his face as he glared at Harry.

Harry looked down, unwilling to meet the accusations he saw reflected in Charlie's eyes. They were the same accusations he had been expecting when Mrs. Weasley had first walked towards him last night. I guess at least one of them blames me after all, he thought sadly. He looked back up and met Charlie's eyes. After a second he nodded, trying to acknowledge he accepted the blame. Charlie's scowl remained unchanged but something unrecognizable flashed in his eyes for a split second before he finally looked away and walked over to Bill, sitting down silently next to him. With one last glace at Ginny Harry let Ron lead him out of the room.

The two walked silently down the quiet corridors. They were heading for the lobby's designated apparition point so they could apparate back to their flat in Muggle London. They rounded the last corner…

POP!

Harry was blinded by a brilliant flash of light.

"Harry, over here!"

"Harry, look this way!"

A succession of brilliant flashbulbs popped around him.

"Mr. Potter, a few words?"

"Harry, why are you here?"

"Harry, if you could just…"

"Mr. Potter, how did you…"

"What do you think…"

Overcome by the flashes and sudden roar of voices, Harry pulled out his wand. The room instantly quieted as the lobby full of reporters watched Harry Potter, the young man who had just defeated one of the worst Dark Lord in all of history, look around frantically with his wand pointing at all of them. Seeing no escape route he did the only thing he could think of, he disapparated with a twist of his wand, ignoring the fact he was violating Magical Transport Law by disapparating from a public building without using the designated apparition point.

He appeared in the living room of the flat he shared with Ron and Hermione with a soft POP. He immediately sunk down onto the couch, struggling to control the sudden rush of anger he felt. They have no right! I'm in there watching Ginny die, and because of me at that, and all they want is my picture and a few words about how I killed Tom. Bastards! All of them! With a growl of frustration he slammed his fist down on the coffee table, shattering one of the glass panes and cutting his hand open.

"Feel better?"

Harry jumped up and whirled around, his wand drawn, but lowered it when he saw Hermione standing in the doorway to her bedroom, leaning against it and looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really," he muttered.

"What happ…"

Hermione was interrupted by another POP as Ron appeared in the living room. "Thanks so much for leaving me to deal with them, Harry," he said as soon as he appeared. "Bloody press…" he trailed off as he spotted the blood dripping from Harry's hand. "What happened to your hand?" he demanded.

Hermione stepped forward. "He tried to beat up the coffee table, but I think it did more damage," she said, understanding why Harry had been so upset after hearing Ron mention the press.

"I held my own just fine, thanks," he said, gesturing towards the broken glass with his uninjured hand.

Hermione smiled weakly. "Hold out your hand," she instructed. Harry did what he was told and watched as Hermione used a simple spell to heal the cut. She then turned and pointed her wand at the coffee table. "Reparo." The glass gathered up and arranged itself back into place, erasing all evidence of Harry's recent tantrum.

"Thanks," Harry said, a bit embarrassed now that his anger was fading.

"You're welcome. Next time, beat up your own furniture. I happen to like that table," she said with a playful grin.

Harry felt himself smile in return. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So, how did it go? With your parents?" Ron asked, unable to restrain himself any longer.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah, how did it go?" he asked, mentally kicking himself for forgetting all about it. He knew he wasn't being a very good friend lately.

"Oh, it was wonderful," she said, sitting down on the couch. Ron and Harry joined her. "They knew everything that happened with the war the last year. Apparently they've been getting the Daily Prophet ever since I left, they said they wrote Professor McGonagall and asked if she could get them a subscription. I told them everything we've been doing this last year, and they understand why I couldn't tell then any more than I did at the time last year."

"So everything is all right between you and them now?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "We talked for hours. We all felt bad about the things we said to each other last year. We're still not perfect, but things are a lot better than they were. They want to come see our flat, actually. I think my Dad just wants to make sure I have my own room, he didn't seem too happy when I said I was living with two guys."

Ron got a funny look on his face, Harry didn't say anything. Hermione saw both of their reactions but ignored Ron for the moment. She was worried about Harry, his emotions had been all over the place ever since he woke up from his coma. "I had an idea…" she said.

"Oh no," Ron muttered. Harry smiled at that but the smile didn't really reach his eyes.

"Anyway," Hermione pushed on. "I brought back the rest of my books from home," she said.

"You have more books!" Ron interrupted. "Your room was already full with them!"

"Those were only the books I thought I would need," Hermione said bluntly. "I left the rest at home, but I brought them back with me. I was thinking… well, that we could…"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I think we should study for our NEWTS," she blurted out, half expecting Harry to blow up simply for suggesting doing anything that didn't involve sulking and sitting in Ginny's hospital room all day. Instead he simply thought about it for a few seconds.

"We can't take them this year, aren't they taking them right now?"

Hermione nodded. "Oh yeah, I know. We'd never be ready anyway. We missed an entire year of school, plus we need time to review everything we already learned. No, if we start now, I think we could be ready by the time they give them next year."

Harry thought about it. He hadn't given any thought to what he was going to do now that the war was over, he wasn't able to think of a future right now. NEWTS seemed a perfect way to deal with that problem. He could put off making any decisions for another year, he would have his NEWTS if he ever did decide to do something where he needed them, and he could stay close to Ginny. He looked over at Ron. "What do you think?" he asked.

Ron shrugged. "It's probably a good idea," he said, clearly not thrilled with the idea of studying but acknowledging it was probably something worth doing.

"Sure, let's do it," Harry said to Hermione.

She jumped up. "Great! I was hoping you would say that, because I've already started making up revision schedules. I should go finish them so we can start tomorrow!" She rushed off to her room.

"We've unleashed a bloody monster. You know that, right?" Ron asked quietly.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning." He stood up and headed towards the door to his room.

"Night, mate," Ron called out.

"Night," Harry said as he entered his room and closed the door behind him.

- - - - -

Harry, Ron, and Hermione began studying the next morning as part of Hermione's revision schedules. She had their work planned out for the next several months, and promised to finish schedules through taking the NEWTS next year within the week. Following her schedules the three fell into a routine of studying during the day at St. Mungo's while keeping Ginny company, relaxing at home for a few hours in the evening, studying for another hour or two at night, and then going to bed. The week passed quickly and, before Harry knew it, Friday had arrived.

"All right," Hermione said, putting a stack of books down on the table they had set up in Ginny's hospital room, "today we're reviewing fourth through sixth year Charms. This afternoon we should probably take a few hours to…"

"Oh!" Harry interrupted. "I almost forgot. I have an appointment with Scrimgeour today at 4. Well, not really an appointment, seeing as though I don't have a choice about going."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hermione asked.

"And what do you think he wants?" Ron added.

"I honestly just forgot about it," Harry answered. "And when I saw McGonagall at Hogwarts on Monday she told me the Ministry wanted to know exactly what happened with Voldemort. He probably wants to try to convince me to publicly support him again or something, too."

"What are you going to tell him?" Hermione asked quietly.

Harry looked her in the eye. "The truth. All of it. Starting from what happened in the Department of Mysteries when Sirius died, and going all the way up until Voldemort died. I'll tell him everything. I'm sick of lying or keeping things to myself. There's no reason to keep secrets anymore, and I'm not going to lie about how I killed him either."

Hermione and Ron exchanged a look. "We're going with you," Ron said. Hermione nodded.

Harry smiled. "I had a feeling you might say that. You really don't have to, you know. I doubt Scrimgeour wants you there, the two of you showing up will probably just annoy him."

"Good," Ron exclaimed. "Maybe Percy will be there and it will annoy him too. Kill two birds with one stone."

"Besides," Hermione added. "We can probably help you tell the story, maybe fill in details you don't remember or…" she trailed off.

"Or don't want to talk about?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded. Harry smiled again. "Thanks. I'd like it if you both came, but you don't have to."

"We know," said Ron. "But we're coming anyway."

Hermione gasped. "Oh no! This is going to mess up our schedule…"

- - - - -

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger, here for an appointment with the Minister of Magic," said Harry, crammed into the small red telephone box along with Ron and Hermione.

There was a pause before the same female voice that had just spoken a few seconds earlier spoke again. "Thank you. Visitors, please take your badge and attach it to the front of your robes." Just as Harry remembered, there was a click and a rattle, and a moment later three square silver badges slid out of the coin return. He took his and handed the other two to Ron, who took his and handed the last to Hermione.

For several seconds there was silence, broken eventually by Ron. "What the hell is this? Some kind of joke?" he demanded, holding up his badge for the other two to see. Printed on the badge were the words:

Ronald Weasley
(smells like poo)

Hermione frowned. "I was about to ask the same thing, actually." She help up her badge as well.

Hermione Granger
(likes to sniff donkey butts)

Harry looked at the other two badges and then back to his own. Without a word he also held his up so everyone could read it.

Harry Potter
(has a small wanker)

No one said anything at first, and after a few seconds Ron burst out laughing.

"I'm glad to see somebody finds this amusing," Harry grumbled, thinking he definitely got the worst of the three badges.

"No, no," Ron gasped, taking deep breaths to stop laughing. He wiped a few tears from his eyes. "It's just that, well… I think I know what's going on."

"Oh?" Hermione asked.

"Fred and George… they've been talking for years about how much fun it would be to modify the visitor badges," Ron explained. "I guess they finally went and did it."

Hermione opened her mouth, and from the look on her face it didn't look like she was about to praise the twins for their creativity. Luckily, however, Ron and Harry were spared from whatever rant she was about to go off on by the cool female voice.

"Visitors, please take your badge and attach it to the front of your robes."

With a scowl Hermione did as she was told. Ron looked over at Harry, shrugged, and pinned the badge onto his robes as well. Harry briefly considered throwing the badge away and leaving but, thinking nothing would make Scrimgeour happier than an excuse to send Aurors after him, did the same with his own badge.

"Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium." The floor of the telephone box shuttered and, after a minute of descending into the ground while making a dull grinding noise, clanged to a stop.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," said the voice as the doors opened, depositing the three of them into the vast hall Harry remembered from the last time he had been there, the night Sirius had died. The three of them walked past the fountain that had served as the centerpiece of the violent duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort almost exactly two years earlier. It was completely rebuilt, there wasn't a single clue that such a spectacular fight had once occurred there.

They made their way over to the Security desk, where a bored-looking man Harry had never seen before eyed them warily while measuring their wands. Just as they were about to leave to enter the Ministry he called out to them. "One who needs to shower more often, one who has questionable taste in extracurricular activities, and one cursed by genetics. Don't worry, you're not the only three with problems. Why, just a few minutes ago a young woman came through here who "likes it from behind." He smirked at them, obviously getting a kick out of all the interesting badges he had seen over the day.

Hermione looked like she was about to say something but Ron grabbed her by the elbow and led her away. "Just ignore him," he muttered as they walked through a set of large golden gates and into the Ministry itself. Harry smiled slightly at the role reversal, thinking of all the times Hermione had said those same words at school in regards to Malfoy's taunts, but decided to keep that observation to himself.

Thirty minutes later they were sitting in a small conference room they had been directed to by a secretary in the Minister's office. Harry sat quietly, preparing himself to tell everything that happened, including the part he had originally said he would only tell once. Hermione was reading one of her textbooks she had brought with her. Ron was tapping his fingers on the table in irritation.

"This is ridiculous," he said. "We've been here almost half an hour. Let's just leave."

"No," said Harry softly. "We'll wait."

"He's doing this on purpose!" Ron exclaimed. "I told you we should have come late. Made him wait!"

"You're playing right into his hand, Ron. Scrimgeour is trying to show his power over us by making us wait. He's trying to irritate us," Hermione said, having put down her book when Ron started talking.

"Well, he's doing a bloody good job of that," Ron retorted.

"Must you always swear?" Hermione snapped.

"What's it to you?"

"It's rude, not to mention…"

"Stop," said Harry in a flat voice. Ron and Hermione stopped talking. "Stop arguing. Just relax. If Rufus wants to make us wait, then we'll wait. He is the Minister of Magic, after all."

Ron scowled and muttered to himself while Hermione looked at Harry, noticing his use of the Minister's first name. She wondered if he knew how much like Professor Dumbledore he sounded, if he was doing it on purpose or if he didn't even realize he was mimicking his former mentor. Either way, it sounded like exactly the sort of thing Dumbledore would have said in the same situation.

Hermione was pulled out of her musings by the opening of the door. Rufus Scrimgeour limped through the open doorway, his eyes sweeping over Ron and Hermione before settling on Harry. A second later Percy Weasley walked in, ignoring the murderous glare sent his way by his younger brother. And finally, a short, squat man with thinning grey hair and a greasy face walked in. He wore a visitor's badge that read:

Sturge Sullis
(polishes his wand twice a day)

Harry was locked in a staring contest with Scrimgeour, Ron was still shooting glares at his older brother, but Hermione stared at the third man to enter the room. His name sounded familiar to her but she just couldn't quite place it. She watched as he reached into a pocket in his robes and pulled out a quill and some parchment, and suddenly it clicked.

"What's he doing here?" she demanded, pointing to Sullis.

Scrimgeour spoke, ignoring her question. "I don't remember asking to see all three of you," he said in a smooth voice with just a hint of annoyance.

Harry shrugged. "You said you wanted to know everything that happened. Ron and Hermione were there for pretty much all of it, surely you must want them here to help tell the story," he responded.

Scrimgeour gave Harry a long stare before responding. "Yes, of course I do," he said.

"I asked, what is he doing here!" Hermione demanded again.

This time the rest of the people in the room turned to look at her. "The public has a right to know what happened, my dear," Scrimgeour told her.

"He wasn't part of the agreement!" said Hermione.

Scrimgeour raised an eyebrow. "You weren't part of the agreement."

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

She turned her gaze away from the Minister to look at Harry. "I recognize his name, Harry. From stories in The Daily Prophet. He's one of their reporters."

Harry's eyes instantly narrowed. He turned back to the Minister. "He leaves, now."

"Harry, now just a minute," Scrimgeour said, raising one hand in front of him. "The public has a right to know what happened. Surely you must agree with that. Sturge here is just going to make sure the story gets told correctly."

Harry snorted. "The Daily Prophet hasn't told a story correctly in its entire history," he scoffed. "No, I want him to leave."

"I hardly think that's necessary, Harry. If you just think about it…"

"He leaves, Rufus, or we leave." Harry interrupted.

Percy bristled at Harry's use of the Minister's first name. "Look, Potter," he said. "You are hardly in a position to be making…" He stopped when his boss held up his hand.

"Your story must be told, Harry. What would it take to get you to agree?"

Harry thought about it for a few seconds. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of the entire Wizarding World knowing everything he had been up to over the past two years, but, then again, it was probably preferable to at least some of the rumors that would surely start up. So if that wasn't what he objected to, then what was it? Why was he so adamant that Sturge leave? While trying to answer that question images of various headlines from The Daily Prophet's past two years flashed before his eyes.

He looked up at Scrimgeour. "He has to leave. Another reporter, a reporter from a different paper, can sit in on these meetings instead. I don't ever plan to speak to a reporter from The Daily Prophet again."

"Surely I don't think…" Scrimgeour began.

"You asked what it would take for me to agree. There you have it," Harry said simply.

Scrimgeour and Harry engaged in yet another staring match. Eventually Scrimgeour turned away and looked at Sullis, who was now sweating quite profusely. "I'm sorry, Sturge, but we'll no longer be requiring your services."

Sullis' eyes widened. "What? But… you… you said… you promised!" he blustered.

"Good day, Mr. Sullis," Scrimgeour said rather forcefully.

Sullis glared at the Minister for a few seconds before turning and storming towards the door. "You'll regret this one, Scrimgeour!" he shouted. He hurled his quill at the wall and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Scrimgeour sighed and tapped his wand to his throat while muttering a spell. "Report to the conference room," he then said aloud. Only a few seconds later the door opened to admit a man dressed in the flowing black robes of the Minister Protection Service, an elite division of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Sir?" he asked, striding over to stand next to the Minister while eyeing the others in the room.

"I need to know if there are any reporters not associated with The Daily Prophet currently in the building," he said.

"Oh," the MPS wizard said. He looked vaguely disappointed there wasn't a crisis requiring him to whip out his wand and battle against the forces of evil. He walked over to the wall, drew his wand, and said "Ministry Visitus Revealus!" A diagram of the ministry complete with all sorts of strange symbols and blinking lights appeared on the wall. The wizard studied it for a few seconds before turning back to the Minister.

"There's a young reporter from The Wizarding Times here. She's interviewing wizards and witches taking their apparition exams for some sort of story on magical travel," he reported.

Scrimgeour turned to Harry. Harry turned to Hermione. "It's a small wizarding newspaper," Hermione said. "They mostly run special interest stories, there isn't much of a market for regular news. The Daily Prophet pretty much has a lock on that."

"What do you think?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I've only ever read a few of their articles, but they seemed all right. I don't really know."

Harry thought for a minute before turning back to Scrimgeour and nodding. "I'll agree to having her be here, but whatever she writes is only allowed to be published in her newspaper. If I see any of this published in The Daily Prophet…" he trailed off, not needing to finish his sentence as Scrimgeour nodded in understanding.

"Come along, Weasley," Scrimgeour said with a sigh. "Let's go find this reporter."

- - - - -

Anna Conway looked down at her notes, reading over them to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She looked up at the girl standing in front of her. "Right, I think that's everything. Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions, and congratulations on passing your exam."

The girl smiled at her. "Thanks," she said before leaving the room. Anna sighed and looked around the empty waiting room. She had about a half hour to kill before the next person was scheduled to take an apparition exam, and she was debating just going home early. She had already interviewed three different people. How much more was there to learn about what people thought of apparition and the apparition exam?

Anna stood up, having decided to leave. She already had plenty to write her story. A story nobody is ever going to read, a small voice in her head told her. She sighed again, determined to ignore the nagging voice that kept telling her she was wasting her time working as a reporter for The Wizarding Times. Today certainly hadn't been the first day she had questioned her sanity in turning down a job offer from The Daily Prophet two years ago.

She was lost in thought, already outlining her story in her head, and thus she didn't notice the door open and two men walk in until she walked right into one of them. "Oh, sorry," she muttered, not looking up from her notes. She made to walk around them and continue on her way.

"Anna Conway?" the man she bumped into asked. Anna looked up and nearly dropped her parchment in shock. She nodded, suddenly quite unable to speak.

"Miss Conway, would you please come with me?" Minister Scrimgeour asked.

Anna felt a jolt of fear course through her. Somehow the Minister of Magic knew her name (the fact that she was wearing a badge with her name on it didn't even occur to her), and on top of that, he wanted her to come with him. What in the name of Merlin did she do?

"What…? You… Break a law?" she stammered, still feeling a mixture of shock and fear at her current situation.

Scrimgeour frowned at her for a second before he realized what was wrong. He smiled gently at her. "No, no, Miss Conway, I'm afraid you misunderstood me. You're not in any trouble. I just require the services of a reporter."

At his reassurance Anna felt the fear begin to drain from her body. She nodded dumbly for a few seconds before the shock went away as well. "If I may ask, sir, what do you need a reporter for?" Anna asked, wanting to know just what it was she being asked to do.

Scrimgeour smiled again. "Harry Potter is about to make a statement to myself about his activities leading up to the defeat of You-Know-Who," he said. "We've agreed the public has a right to hear his story, so I asked if any reporters were in the building and I found you."

Anna opened and closed her mouth a few times. A small part of her brain registered that she probably looked like a fish, but the rest of her brain ignored that. It was too busy trying to process what it had just learned. Harry Potter. Harry Bloody Potter. Willingly speaking to the press. To ME!

"Miss Conway?" Scrimgeour prompted. "Harry and his friends are waiting. Will you be able to help me?"

Harry AND HIS FRIENDS? I get to do a story on the Gryffindor Trio? Doesn't this man understand what this means? EVERYBODY wants to get an interview with the three of them! NOBODY is able to!

"Of course!" Anna exclaimed, sounding a bit more excited than she meant to. She cleared her throat. "Err, I mean, I'd be happy to help," she said, embarrassed at her outburst. Suddenly she felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Sir? You do know I'm not with The Daily Prophet, right?" she asked, remembering how often people assumed she was when they heard she was a reporter. It was shocking how few people in the Wizarding World even knew they had more than one newspaper available to them.

Scrimgeour just nodded. "Of course. In fact, you're perfect for the job. Mr. Potter specifically requested somebody not with The Daily Prophet," he said. "Come along now, I'll lead the way."

Anna followed the Scrimgeour and Percy out the door, a giddy smile on her face.

- - - - -

For the second time that day Harry watched as Rufus Scrimgeour walked into the conference room, quickly followed by Percy Weasley. But instead of seeing a short, squat man with thinning grey hair and a greasy face bring up the rear, he instead saw a young woman with shoulder-length, chestnut colored hair. She couldn't have been more than a few years older than Harry, and he noticed she had a certain understated, girl-next-door manner to her that made him feel at ease around her.

"Anna Conway, meet Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger," Scrimgeour said.

Harry's eyes flickered to the visitor's badge she wore on the front of her robes.

Anna Conway
(likes it from behind)

He watched as her eyes moved between the three of them, looking at their badges as well. Her gaze lingered on Harry's for a second longer than the other two and then the corners of her mouth twitched into a slight smile.

"And I thought I had the worst one," she said. Harry blushed while Ron snickered.

Harry cleared his throat. "Yes, well, let's get started," he said, trying to change the subject.

"Excellent idea," agreed Scrimgeour as he sat down at the table. Percy and Anna did the same. "The purpose of this meeting is for Harry to tell us all of the events leading up to the defeat of You-Know-Who so that we might be better prepared for these situations in the future. Miss Conway, you are here so that everyone gets a chance to hear Harry's story. They all deserve to know since our entire world was affected by this war."

You forgot to add that you're annoyed I didn't tell you everything I was doing along the way and pledge my full support to the Ministry to help your career, so now you want to find out the whole story so you can twist it around to make it look like you were the hero, Harry added bitterly to himself

While Scrimgeour was talking Anna had pulled out a stack of parchment and a quill from a pocket in her robes. She also pulled out her wand and pointed it at the parchment, muttering something inaudible. Immediately the quill began to furiously scribble down words on the parchment.

"What did you just do?" Hermione demanded, her eyes narrowed.

Anna looked up in surprise. "What?"

"What did you just do to that quill. Was that a Quick-Quotes spell?"

Anna shook her head. "No, no, I never use that." She looked slightly offended. "It's just a simple recording charm. Here, see for yourself." She tapped her wand against the quill, which immediately stopped writing and fell to the table, and picked up the parchment and held it out to Hermione.

Hermione looked at the words written down.

R.S.: …situations in the future. Miss Conway, you are here so that everyone gets a chance to hear Harry's story. They all deserve to know since our entire world was affected by this war.

H.G.: What did you just do?

A.C.: What?

H.G.: What did you just do to that quill. Was that a Quick-Quotes spell?

A.C.: No, no, I never use that. It's just a simple recording charm. Here, see for yourself.

She nodded and handed the parchment back to Anna. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure," she said.

Anna took the parchment, again cast the recording charm, and then smiled at Hermione. "I understand," she said. "Quick-Quotes can be downright nasty."

"You can say that again," Harry muttered to himself.

Scrimgeour cleared his throat. "Well, if everyone is ready, I suggest we begin. Harry, where would you like to start?"

Harry had already given this a great deal of thought, and he knew where the story leading up to Voldemort's defeat began. Well, in reality, it began with his birth. But he knew where the story that he needed to tell today began.

"At the end of my fifth year," Harry began speaking. "Voldemort planted images in my mind that made me think Sirius…" he stopped speaking as an annoying, high-pitched whine filled the room. Harry drew his wand without even thinking about it.

The whine grew in both pitch and volume until the room was filled with an ear-piercing screech. The quill Anna had charmed to record their conversation lifted off the table and hovered in mid-air, and Harry realized the sound was actually coming from the quill. He pointed his wand at Anna but found her staring at her quill in shock. Obviously she hadn't planned this.

As the shriek continued to grow in volume, it began to shake. It started as a slight rattle, but as the sound reached a point where it moved from annoying to painful, the shaking grew in intensity. Soon the quill was shaking so hard all they could see was a blur. Just as the shriek started to become unbearable the quill erupted into a brilliant orange ball of flame. A few seconds later the charred remains fell to the table, leaving the room in a deathly silence.

Ron was the first to speak. "What the bloody hell…?"

Anna looked down at her parchment for a second and then looked up in realization. "Oh," she said. "I think I know what happened." She held up the parchment for the others to see and pointed to the bottom.

H.P.: At the end of my fifth year, Vol…

"I don't think it was able to copy down You-Know-Who's name," Anna said.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Hermione exclaimed. "Do you have another quill?"

Anna nodded.

"Give it to me." Hermione snapped.

Anna reached into her pocket, pulled out a quill, and handed it to Hermione, who pointed her wand at it and muttered the recording charm. She handed it back to Anna, who set it down and watched as the quill leapt up and hovered over the parchment, poised to begin copying down everything that was said.

"Voldemort," Hermione said, slowly and clearly. Scrimgeour, Percy, and Anna all winced at the name, but the quill simply wrote:

H.G.: Voldemort.

Hermione nodded. "Just as I thought, the spell transfers the caster's fear of Voldemort's name onto the quill. Just like you aren't able to say the name," she told Anna, "your quill wasn't able to write the name."

"This is ridiculous," Harry said. "It's just a name. A name of a person that isn't even alive anymore. Voldemort is dead." The three of them winced yet again. "He can't hurt you!" When nobody said anything for a few seconds he just sighed, dropping the matter for now.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Voldemort planted images in my mind…"

Nearly two hours later Harry's stopped talking. He had told them everything, beginning with the fight in the Department of Mysteries, continuing with learning what the prophecy said, learning about the Horcruxes during his sixth year, traveling with Dumbledore to find the Horcrux, watching Snape murder Dumbledore, searching for and destroying all of the Horcruxes over the past year, and ending with the final battle with Voldemort. He didn't leave out any details, including how Voldemort was finally killed. Hermione and Ron chimed in here and there with things Harry had forgotten or hadn't known, but for the most part, he spoke uninterrupted.

When he was finished the room fell silent, even the scratching of the quill had stopped. Scrimgeour was the first to speak.

"Let me make sure I understood you correctly. You used the killing curse to kill You-Know-Who?"

"Yes."

A pause.

"And you cast it with his wand?" Scrimgeour asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes."

"How did you get his wand?"

"I don't know."

"How did you get knock out all of the Death Eaters?"

"I don't know."

"Why did You-Know-Who only stun you?"

"I don't know."

Scrimgeour growled in frustration. He believed Harry, he didn't appear to be lying. But there were still so many unanswered questions, and spending most of his life as an Auror hunting down dark wizards, Scrimgeour hated unanswered questions.

"Well, I guess that's all," he said. "Harry, we'll have to take you into custody."

"What!" Ron exclaimed.

Scrimgeour turned to look at Ron. "Your friend has admitted to using the most unforgivable of the three unforgivable curses. It's use carries an immediate life sentence in Azkaban."

Ron stood up menacingly, but Hermione spoke first. "You can't be serious! He used it to rid the world of Voldemort!"

"He used it, that is all that matters. I'm sorry, it is the law." Scrimgeour said. Unlike the previous Minister of Magic, Scrimgeour didn't seem to find any joy in the idea of arresting Harry. But he didn't seem particularly averse to it either. In his mind the law had been broken, and the only thing to do was arrest the person responsible.

Ron drew his wand. "You're not arresting him," he said flatly.

Harry stood up and looked at Ron. "It's ok," he said softly. "Don't make a scene."

While Harry and Ron stared at each other, Ron incredulous Harry was so calm and Harry desperately hoping his friends didn't get into trouble over him, Scrimgeour raised his wand to his throat to summon an Auror.

"Wait!" a voice, which had remained quiet for the entire two hours Harry spent telling his story, called out.

They all turned to stare at Percy.

"Yes?" Scrimgeour asked.

Percy looked distinctly uncomfortable for a few seconds and then, without a word, stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it, stuck his wand out into the hallway, and called out "Accio Wizengamot Decrees!"

For a few seconds there was silence as they all stared at Percy, wondering just what he was up to. And then they heard a muffled cry from the hallway.

"Look out! Duck!"

A second later Percy staggered, as if something heavy had just hit his arm. He pulled his hand back into the room and the others saw he was now holding an immensely thick book. He carried it over to the table, staggering under its weight, and dropped it down in front of them all with a resounding thud.

Harry looked at the title. A Complete Listing of all Wizengamot Decrees, Self-Updating Version. Hermione gasped when she realized what it was. She had wanted a copy of this very book for years now, it was just much too expensive for her.

"This is a listing of all decrees ever made by the Wizengamot," Percy told them. "It automatically updates itself each time a new decree is passed."

"Yes, yes, get on with it," Scrimgeour said impatiently.

"I check it every few weeks to stay current on wizarding law," Percy said, swelling up slightly in self-importance at his last sentence. "One of the decrees passed last year pertains to our current situation." He opened the book and flipped to near the back, turning pages silently for a few seconds.

"Ah, here we go," he said. "Wizengamot Decree 498232107: A wizard or witch who uses the Killing Curse in an act of self defense shall be pardoned from the sentence of imprisonment for life in Azkaban Prison. Both the Wizengamot and the Minister of Magic shall have the authority to determine if the use of the Killing Curse was in fact an act of self-defense, but if each body is asked to rule and each rules in opposition to the other, the sentence shall be upheld. Decree introduced by Albus Dumbledore, passed by unanimous vote of all Wizengamot members present after two hours and nine minutes of deliberation."

"498232107…" Hermione muttered. Harry could almost see the numbers flashing in her mind as she worked it out. "Professor Dumbledore must have introduced that only a few days before he died!"

Harry didn't say anything, he was thinking about what he had learned from his conversation with Madam Pomfrey earlier that week.

"Well, then, I suppose there's no way the Wizengamot would rule against you," Scrimgeour said. "You are officially pardoned."

Harry nodded, barely paying attention to what was being said around him. He was trying to understand what it all meant. Why did Dumbledore introduce that decree only a few days before he died? Was it simply a coincidence? Did it have anything to do with his own use of the Killing Curse against Grindelwald?

"Thank you for taking the time to tell your story, Harry. Unless there's anything else, I believe we're done here."

Harry nodded again and followed Hermione and Ron towards the door. He was about to leave when he heard Scrimgeour speak again.

"Miss Conway, would you stay behind for a few minutes? I'd like to look over your transcript of our conversation."

Harry froze. He slowly turned back around and fixed Scrimgeour with a cold stare before he turned to look at Anna. "I expect to see the truth printed in your newspaper," he informed her with a menacing look in his eyes.

Anna met his gaze, unfazed by the look he was giving her. "That's all I ever print," she said.

Satisfied, Harry shot one last glare at Scrimgeour before turning and following Ron and Hermione out of the room.

Author's Notes:

Sorry about taking a month to update. My life is pretty busy these days, and while I do plan to eventually finish this story, I might not be able to update as quickly as you (and I) might like. I also hope this is the longest chapter I write for awhile. They keep getting longer and longer so far, but I'm going to try and cut them back down in length. 11,000 words is a lot for one chapter, at least in my opinion. I thought about breaking this up into two chapters, but there just wasn't a good place to do it.

I promise, this will be the last time I make you think Harry is about to be arrested for using the Killing Curse.

Yeah, I know. "Ministry Visitus Revealus" sounds really stupid. Sorry about that.

Regarding Harry and his statement about "If I see any of this published in The Daily Prophet…" followed by Scrimgeour nodding in understanding, that wasn't just a random line thrown in there. Scrimgeour wouldn't ordinarily care if Harry was annoyed with him because of what was published in a newspaper. There's a bit more to that than meets the eye. It's nothing huge, but it's a small part of my story, and you'll understand in good time.

Anna Conway will disappear from the story for awhile, but you haven't seen the last of her!

Finally, I recommend checking out "Harry Potter and the Eternal Right" by MattD12027. It's shaping up to be a very interesting story!

Please review!