Hello Hello! I'm back. I hope ou guys like this. Please review, no matter how short, so I can improve my writing. It would make my day. Another chapter coming up.

They were still in the Gryffindor common room, it was around a quarter to one.

"I believe Andromeda and Teddy shall be arriving soon. Maybe we should go downstairs to fetch them?" Molly wondered.

"I'll go", Harry offered. "I haven't seen Teddy in two weeks and I want to say hello to them before I have to go into the last preparations."

"I'll go with you. You keep talking about the little guy in your letters and a little walk around the grounds will do me good." Ginny stood up.

Together they climbed out of the portrait hole and walked down towards the entrance hall.

"So, has it been hard to switch between being a world saving war hero and a daddy?" Ginny smirked at him.

"It's been no problem at all to combine work with having Teddy in the weekends." He replied.

"I see. I think… I think you and Teddy will get along very well. I mean, he's in a comparable situation as you once were, and I'm not saying that both losing your parents guarantees a good relationship, but I think… I think he's lucky to have you."

"Thanks Gin…" He wrapped an arm around her waist. "But… will it be all right with you, if I spend so much time with him?"

"All right with me? Of course it is! The way you talk about him, I can really tell you are so fond of him, why would I have a problem with that? I'm up here at Hogwarts most of the time anyway!"

"I don't know, maybe, I thought… After that?" He looked at her.

"Of course, I'm just glad you two found each other." She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss.

Soon, they had reached the gate with the two flying hogs. It was now nearly one 'o clock, the time the public was allowed inside, so a small crowd had already gathered at the gates. He quickly spotted Andromeda amongst them and waved at her. After only a few minutes it was time and the gates were opened. Andromeda was near the front so she was one of the first to enter. She, like all others, had her wand and name registered and she was checked for any signs of dark or disguise magic and then she was led through.

"Hi Harry, hello Ginny, it's good to see you."

"Hey Andromeda, how are you doing?"

She sighed. "I'm okay, thanks. How's your family?"

"We're getting better. You know what it's like. How is Teddy doing?"

"Teddy's doing fantastic. He has been growing a lot lately. Of course he has, I'm just happy he's a healthy baby. Would you like to hold him?"

"Oh, err, yes, yes please."

Andromeda put the small boy in Ginny's arms, and arranged him so that his head was well-supported. Teddy looked up at Ginny, and suddenly his hair turned from Andromeda's dark brown colour into Ginny's fiery red.

"Oh", she breathed. "He's lovely!"

"Yeah, he likes it a lot to copy everyone's hair colours lately. He's really good at it too!" Harry grinned at Ginny.

They were about to turn around when Harry noticed some sort of commotion at the gates. Interested, he looked over and saw a blonde boy arguing with the aurors, his back turned towards Harry.

"Your wand please, sir."

"I told you, I don't have one. But… I know someone, he went to school here. He's my cousin. He could explain for me, please."

"Yeah? What's your cousin's name?" The auror asked, slightly amused that the boy had felt the need to mention that his cousin had attended Hogwarts, everyone had or did.

"Harry Potter. He might be here already, or-"

"Harry Potter! You couldn't think of anyone better? Like we'll buy that! You go stand back now, young man, there are people waiting, off you go!" The two aurors were now laughing out loud.

"No, really, I mean it! Please!" There was a hint of fear in the boy's voice and-

Suddenly Harry recognised the voice, he was surprised he hadn't noticed it any sooner. He rushed forwards.

"Wait!" He called out. "Wait! I do know him. He's my cousin. A muggle." He said once he'd reached them.

At the gate stood Dudley Dursley. He had lost quite a bit of weight and he was smartly dressed in a three piece suit- something Harry had never imagined witnessing. The biggest difference, however, was that he seemed to have grown up. There was this look about him… It made him look more mature. He looked surprised to see Harry there.

"Harry" was all that came out of him.

"A muggle? But then how did he get here? This castle is supposed to be impossible to find for muggles. There's all sorts of protective enchantments over the castle."

"I don't know how he got here, ask him."

"Well, there's this wizard, his name is John Keeling and I met him when we were in hiding, but he brought me here. He is now meeting someone in that village down there" Dudley pointed down the road towards Hogsmead. "He told me to go along and that he'd meet me in the castle somewhere. He told me to keep on walking, even though it feels all weird and…" he paused. "Honestly, I can't see no castle, all I see is a ruin."

"That's because of the enchantments", the female auror explained. "But I guess there's nothing in the rules against muggles visiting, is there?" She turned towards Harry and the male auror.

"Not that I know of. Harry, are you willing to stand surety for your…" He looked between Dudley and Harry, as if trying to find any resemblance between the two "cousin? After all, there is no wand we can check."

"Yeah, sure."

"All right. Have a good ceremony", he grumbled as he led Dudley trough.

By this time, Ginny and Andromeda had caught up with him and stood by his side, curiously glancing over at Dudley. Harry told them he would meet them back at the castle.

"Dudley" he finally said.

"Harry, it's good to see you."

"Of all people in the entire world, you are the person I fourth least expected to see here."

"I can understand that."

"So why?"

"I, err… I wanted to see you again. Look Harry, I know I've made some mistakes in the past, and I wanted to apologise. But I changed. Last year… It was hard, you know…"

"Oh you don't have to tell me last year was hard, Dudley. I was there."

"Right. Sorry. Well, what I was trying to say was… We lived in this big house, with an elderly couple and a mom with two little kids, and there were always a lot of people coming and going, they called it a safe house, and anyway, mom and dad told me I wasn't allowed to leave our part of the house, because they were scared of the wizards, and at first I obeyed, but then I got bored and I started to sneak out to explore the house. And then I got to know the elderly man, his name is John Keeling, and he told me he and his wife lived there because both their parents had been muggles and they thought they were too old to go on the run and then he and I we just… We just started talking. I'd never had anyone to talk to in my life, Harry. Not really talk to, you know? And I told him about my life and he told me about his and I had a lot of time to think and then I just… I changed."

Harry had never heard Dudley speak so many words after each other in his life, and by the looks of it, Dudley had even surprised himself by rambling and blurting it all out at once.

"Wow. I bet your mom and dad loved that."

"They didn't really. But they don't know half of it. I've been trying to keep them from noticing. They're still the same as ever. Although I think mom is a bit… I don't know. She might have some regrets. She isn't behaving differently anyway."

"Hadn't expected anything else. Look Dudley, I'm glad to see that you changed, but you didn't really pick a good timing. I'm already late to some… stuff. I guess I'll see you around afterwards, but I really got to go now."

Dudley looked a bit disappointed that his big monologue hadn't caused Harry to fly him around the neck and make everything good between them, like he had expected. And although he was on the right path, Harry didn't think Dudley fully understood yet just how cruel his family had been to Harry. Just 'I made some mistakes' and 'I changed' didn't nearly cover the load of abuse and neglect that had been rained upon him every single day for more than ten years. Surely it hadn't all been Dudley's fault, in fact Harry agreed that the boy's actions had mostly been caused by his parents brainwashing him, but he could tell Dudley didn't quite understand it. Yet. He didn't understand that what he and his family did to Harry was more than just not-so-nice parenting and that it had permanently damaged Harry. Harry didn't really mind though. This was already more than he had ever expected of Dudley and Harry had already found his family. He didn't need Dudley. Not like he had needed Dudley as an ally or friend when they were kids. He had found his path, and surely Dudley would soon find his own. To him, Dudley was just a vivid reminder of the past he was so desperate to forget, and he couldn't use that now that he needed to focus on healing.

"But what if I don't see you?"

"You will. There will be a quidditch match after the ceremony. That's our sport. Just come and watch if you like. I'll find you there."

"Okay Harry. Just one more thing. Mister Keeling told me about you too. He told me there was another war, years ago, and that somehow you managed to end it as a baby. That no one knows how that was possible."

"I thought you knew that already. Hagrid, the giant that is, told me that when he came to pick me up. You were there when he told me."

"I guess I wasn't paying attention then. I was a bit scared at that moment, you know." Dudley grinned slightly. "But anyway, he told me that therefore you were important to some people in this war. Some sort of symbol of hope or something like that."

"That's all he's told you?"

"Yeah. Is there more? He told me to ask you."

"Yeah, well, like I said, I really don't have time for this. Look, you can pick a seat over here, the ones at the front are reserved and the ceremony will start in… 50 minutes. Shit, I'm really late. I'll see you around, Big D!" Harry gave Dudley a wave and paced towards the chamber.

Jacobs was going to kill him. She was very keen on punctuality and right now Harry was ten minutes late. She was probably stressing about where he was right now. But as he crossed the great hall, the familiar feeling of panic suddenly returned at once. His speech. He had managed to keep his mind off of it for most of the day, but right now he was reminded of it again. He opened the door and slipped inside.

"There you are! I told you to be ten minutes ago! You still have to change! Here, these are your robes. Madame Malekins is here, she'll help you to put them on and take out all of the last wrinkles." Jacobs was clearly very stressed and rushed, but luckily she didn't seem too angry. She even smiled at him.

"I know I haven't been too kind to you before. I was just very stressed, bloody hell, I still am, more than ever. I just want everything to go smoothly today. I hope you understand." She sighed and looked back up at him again. "Are you ready to do this?"

"Err… Not really. I mean, I prepared but… Just not really looking forwards to this I guess."

"If the nerves get too bad just tell me. We asked professor Slughorn to brew a calming potion. It should be ready in about ten minutes."

Ron and Hermione were already in the room and came walking up to him.

"It'll be all right, mate. I know you hate this, but everyone out there loves you. Whatever you say will be okay." Ron told him.

"We are all so proud of you Harry", Hermione added.

He hugged both of them.

People helped him prepare. His robes, his hair (wasted effort), they asked him questions about this or that, they fed him a calming potion and suddenly it was two 'o clock and the ceremony started. Kingsley got onto the stage and held a short opening speech. Harry didn't hear a word of it, but he didn't care. He knew what would be said: it was hard, we've been brave, let's commemorate but move on, let us heal but not forget. It all passed in a blur. Ron and Hermione were constantly by his sides. Suddenly he felt a hand on his back, gently pushing him towards the stage, just as Kingsley spoke the words:

"I will hereby give the word to Harry Potter"

A loud applause erupted in the great hall. This was it. Here he goes. It wasn't that he was scared the people wouldn't like his speech or that he would blunder, his nerves were mostly caused because he was taking a risk and he had no clue how big that risk was or what it's consequences would be. The problem was, his speech was controversial. Sure, he would talk about healing and the bravery of the people who had fought, but he also had another message. He would declare, in front of basically the entire wizarding population of Britain, if you included the articles that would be in tomorrow's newspapers, his opinions about house elves, about werewolves, about goblins, about minorities that had been suppressed by wizards since the beginning of civilization. He was picking his sides. But he had to do this. For Remus. For Dobby. For Hagrid and all the other outcasts of this failing society.