Chapter 7: Returning Home

Disclaimer: All characters belongs to J. K. Rowling!

7- Returning Home

After a lapse of time that Harry found comfortingly eternal, the two friends slowly began to separate. The boy didn't like the feeling of letting her go, partly because the sounds and people around him reappeared and disturbed him, but mostly because Hermione's hugs always made him feel good. Omitting his parents, she was the first person to hug him in his life, and the first to show him sincere affection.

Harry looked at her a bit flushed. He was confused by the unconceivable sensations he had never felt before, not even with Ginny. Hermione slowly raised her eyes and looked at him with her bright brown eyes. He was once again surprised to see her flushed cheeks and a strange look. His friend was definitely as confused and shocked as he was.

He was embarrassed. Hermione watched him intensely like never before with a penetrating, longing gaze, making his blood bustle. She looked down and swallowed, perhaps embarrassed too, and only then he remembered what he wanted to say to her desperately since ever.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. Please forgive me." He said with a barely audible whisper full of regret.

The girl looked up but this time sweetness and tenderness were replaced by fury. Harry instantly understood what was coming to him, he knew her so much.

"Of course I forgive you, Harry Potter! Here I am, your friend, so you can yell at me when you want to vent your anger on someone! And when you decide to go away again, here I am, so that you can abandon me and disappear without a trace!"

Hermione ended up shouting what she had begun to say quietly, turned around and left furiously for her seat. Though he somehow expected it, she had never been angry with him like that. He looked around and noticed that many were still sitting and others were returning to their seats, and was a little relieved to think that no one had heard her until he felt someone behind him.

"I can't say you don't deserve it Harry." Mr. Weasley said with one hand on his shoulder. His wife was next to him and nodded firmly. "From what you said in your speech we can understand you since you had your good reasons, but disappear like that, without anyone knowing where to find you..." She concluded, pursing his mouth and shaking his head slightly from side to side in a sign of disagreement.

"Harry, my son. I appreciate your letters, but to run away like that was irresponsible. What if something happened to you? Yes, I know that Vol - Volde... (Molly made an effort to say that name) Tom Riddle is no more," she continued at Harry's attempt to interrupt. "But you didn't choose a good time to leave even though you had your reasons. You all were angry between yourselves but your departure ended up really hurting them... and us too."

At last the other thing he was so afraid to face was taking place: the reactions of Hermione and the Weasley (especially Mrs. Weasley). Harry knew that he had many reasons to leave, and he really didn't regret it. But internally he knew that he had hurt people who loved him and always cared about him.

"I'm sorry, miss Weasley. I never meant to hurt you, you are like my own family." He said ashamed looking at the floor. He didn't know what else to say; Molly smiled sadly and rested her hand on the boy's crossed arms, as her answer.

"I really hope you come to the Burrow for dinner tonight. Kingsley will come, Minerva and all the Weasley will be there too." Arthur said.

Harry was surprised. At that moment he felt bad about himself and didn't think he deserved it.

"I don´t..."

"We will be waiting for you." Molly said, and they went to their seats as Professor McGonagall began her closing speech.

The reopening was brief but emotional. When Professor McGonagall concluded her speech (once again thanking all those who had contributed) she stepped off the stage and went to the main entrance of the castle. The huge oak doors were completely covered by a kind of shiny golden cloth with Hogwarts' coat of arms in the middle. Once there she said a few words in Latin aiming her wand at the shield, and suddenly the lion, the badger, the snake, and the eagle in the symbol came to life and emitted their natural sounds. The cloth gradually disappeared as the shield kept floating in place. The people, crowded around the marble stairs, cheered the spectacle while the oak doors opened to give way to the tour through the reconstructed sectors that had been fixed for the new class year.

After almost everyone entered, Harry prepared to follow the crowd when a hand grabbed his arm.

"Hello Harry! Can I join you on the tour?"

Harry could not help but smile and let himself be hugged by his blonde friend who was so dear to him.

"Sure Luna!"

After passing under the shield, they entered the entrance hall and followed the path marked with rows of stars that remained immobile at about three meters high. Apparently they showed the sectors and corridors that were reopened, and that way nobody would get lost or get into sectors that had not been restored.

"How´s your father?" asked the boy.

"Oh, he didn't come. He is still ashamed of what happened."

"Tell him it's nonsense. He did it because he was desperate to get you back."

"Yes, I know. That's strange, isn't it?"

"What?" Harry asked, hoping for some of her characteristics phrases.

"That he wanted to get you, so he would recover me. He idolized you, you were the only hope to end Vol... Tom Riddle, but If he gave you to them, hope was over. I still don't understand what sense it made for him to recover me in the midst of so much darkness and evil."

Harry smiled sadly as they passed through one of the corridors full of people admiring the restored paintings. The consequences of the war and its implications were endless, and they had caused a disaster that would be very difficult to repair.

"Luna, a father would do anything for his son. My father tried to stop Riddle without a wand, and my mother got in the way of the Avada Kedavra to save me. She didn't think at that time that if she died anyway I would be helpless before him, but she sacrifice anyway". Harry remembered, but to not complicate things he avoided telling her that this sacrifice gave his son the power of love in his blood and ended up being a decisive weapon in Voldemort's defeat.

Luna looked at him with his huge eyes wide open, and smiled slightly, looking forward. She squeezed his arm tighter with hers and whispered in his broken voice:

"Thank you Harry."

After visiting the Great Dining Room (Harry asked Luna to leave, to which she agreed without hesitation to see his face marked with pain and suffering) and some classrooms on the ground and first floor, both reached the entrance to Gryffindor's common room. Fat Lady's painting was open so they entered without any password.

They immediately noticed some people gathered in the center of the room, listening to Professor Sprout.

"The Gryffindor Tower was the most damaged during the battle, and it was one of the Hogwarts places where more galleons were needed. Of course the damage caused by dark magic cannot be repaired, as you may have seen from the outside, but I must tell you that it looks almost as good as it did before."

And it was true. Harry looked nostalgic at every detail, as it had been more than a year since last time there. A few minutes later and after Harry went up to see his bedroom where he had slept so many nights, the two friends decided to go to the Tower of Ravenclaw at Luna's request.

They entered the common room in Ravenclaw without having to answer any question, as the door was also open. And as in Gryffindor's room, some people (in this case about fifteen) were in the center of it, around Professor McGonagall; she saw them enter and smiled winking at them.

"As I was saying, the Tower of Ravenclaw was one of the sectors most affected by the battle. With the exception of the external battlements, the rest could be restored except for the marble replica of the diadem, which is lost forever. And it was here that the Carrow´s, who subjugated the school by then, were stunned and defeated before the start of the battle precisely by the two people who had just entered!"

Both Harry and Luna opened their eyes surprised by the improvisation of the actual headmistress, who proudly looked at them with a wide smile. The people who were there turned around and when they saw Harry and Luna, they shouted with astonishment and some applause. She looked at her friend and noticed that she was petrified by such an unexpected tribute.

"Wow! I didn't remember, did you?" Luna asked Harry when they were already on their way to the exit and he found an answer to the surprise.

"Well, no, neither did I." Harry replied.

The restoration had been excellent. Harry had to recognize that the reconstructed sectors looked practically the same as before, and the armors, portraits and furniture damaged during the barbarity looked impeccable. However, some sectors Harry wanted to go to were closed to the public as they were not allowed to the public and would not be used for some time. And they both felt sad and disappointed when one of the teachers told them that the Room of Requirements had been completely destroyed beyond repair. The place where the DA used to meet in secret and the refuge of the students rebelled against the Carrows had been incinerated by FiendFyre; they grabbed each other's arms with sadness and nostalgia and headed for the exit.

As they walked down the stairs to the lobby, Harry continued to greet those who came and went. They had crossed paths with Seamus and Dean, and they agreed to meet at The Three Broomsticks the next week. They had also come across Patil twins and Lavender, Ernie, Katie and Angelina, with whom he talked for a few minutes. He did not know many of people around there, and he thought that they were relatives of students or guests in general.

But he didn't meet any of his best friends. He was dying to go around the castle with Ron, Hermione, Neville or Ginny, and to remember old times and adventures. But he found them nowhere. Finally Luna said goodbye as they went out into the fields.

"Goodbye Harry, I must go home."

"Take care, will you?"

"Yes, you too. See you next week at The Three Broomsticks!" She said, kissed him on the cheek and walked to the castle entrance. The sunset was close and there were few people left in the castle. He looked at her as she was leaving and saw Hagrid's hut, remembering that he wanted to go and visit him. It was still early to go to the Burrow, and Bill had sent his backpack with the things he had brought from France to Weasley's home.

An hour later, Harry was saying goodbye to Hagrid and Fang, promising to return soon to visit him. It was already getting dark, and he was thinking to visit Aberforth in Hog´s Head when he noticed the proximity of the forbidden forest.

He stood there watching the thickness and darkness of the forest where his life had been in danger so many times. He glanced nervously at the hut to make sure that Hagrid wasn´t seeing him and turned his gaze to the forest. There was something he had wished to do for a long time, something that the deepest part of his mind yearned for and that he would not be able to avoid doing.

The forest seemed to call him from its noises of foliage moving with the wind or from the sounds of distant creatures. He began to approach prudently, step by step as he made up his mind. It was not an easy thing to do, and with the darkness approaching he would need courage. He realized that he was making the same path as when he surrender to Voldemort a few months ago. If he set out to do so even then knowing that he would be executed, he would have to be able to do so this time even though he had never entered alone.

Already within the limits of the forest, he walked searching with his light wand for the path which headed to the heart of the forest and the nest of the acromantulas. Harry trembled, partly from the expectation of finally realizing a deep, spinning desire inside his head, and partly from the vivid memory of the last time he was in there, marching towards his cruel destiny and willing to die to avoid more absurd deaths, accompanied by his loved ones.

The silence was terrifying and not a single bird could be heard. His ears were alert for any clicking or dangerous sounds and continued walking, wand in hand. A couple of times he stopped frightened at a noise, but continued his way convincing himself they were typical forest noises. He did not know if the acromantulas really had returned to their nest or had gone elsewhere after the death-eaters had taken their place; that was the part of the plan he feared the most.

His ears were buzzing. Suddenly he heard noises of branches crunching behind him. Petrified, he turned with the wand aiming to the area where the noises came from, and after a few seconds he turned around and resumed his way again. He still saw the sky between some tall trees, so he realized that he had not yet reached the thickest and most dangerous part of the forest. The light from his wand was strong but insufficient, it could barely illuminate a few meters around.

At every step Harry was more and more terrified, but he sensed (hoped) that his final goal was worth it. Suddenly he stopped with his eyes wide open at the faint sound of his name. He began to illuminate with his wand to all sides, looking for the source of the sound when he heard his name again, this time closer. It was not possible, thought Harry with his nerves on edge, it was nothing more than his brain deceiving him. No one could be calling him. The buzz in his ears was annoying, perhaps that mixed with the noises of the forest had played a trick on him.

"Harry!"

No, he had definitely heard someone shout his name. He turned with his wand and his blood froze again when he saw a shadow about fifteen or twenty meters away. It didn't move, and neither did he.

"Harry! It´s you?" The voice shouted again, and then a light suddenly appeared. The shadow began to walk towards him, and when it was a few meters away Harry couldn´t believe it.

"Hermione! What are you doing here?"

"Harry?" the girl asked, apparently even more terrified than Harry.

When her friend was sure it was Harry, she came closer but looked nervously in all directions.

"What are you doing here?"

"I ask you just the same, Harry!" Her voice was a whisper.

"I was... you were the one shouting my name?"

"Of course! I saw you standing outside the forest and then you got in here." The girl kept whispering. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Harry didn't know what to say to her. Suddenly everything was so ridiculous, and his original idea now turned to be dangerous and irrational... but he felt the desire still boiling inside him. Hermione's face went from reflecting fear to panic, and her eyes widened even more, suddenly understanding what her stupid friend were doing there.

"Harry, tell me you are not looking for that bloody stone." His tone of voice (or whisper) frightened Harry.

"No!" Answered, and quickly lowered his eyes to the ground so as not to give himself away. She hated lying to her friend, and Hermione had the ability to "read him" in a second.

A distant noise echoed in the silence, and both pointed their wands towards the same spot with their hair on end. After a few seconds, they looked at each other again and he felt the intensity of her gaze.

"You are lying!"

"Damn." thought Harry, and with a gesture of annoyance he snapped at her in frustration:

"Fine! So what?" Harry challenged her, realizing too late how mistaken he was.

"So what? So what?" she shrieked enraged.

"Shhhhh!"

"Don't make me shut up Harry Potter! Are you insane? You told us that you threw the stone into the nest of the acromantulas! Do you want those beasts to devour you?"

Strangely enough, Harry smiled when he heard his friend call him by his full name. He always called it that when she was angry with him and for some reason liked it, but the laughter faded away at the thought of being surrounded by acromantulas willing to eat him.

"No! I don't want that! But I wasn't sure if they were there, maybe they went to some place else..."

"Maybe? Maybe?" Hermione was getting more and more hysterical. "Very bad idea Harry, very bad idea!"

"I need to see them again, Hermione! Don't you get it?" Now it was Harry screaming.

The girl was left with her mouth open, unable to say anything.

"I saw them. They came out of the Resurrection Stone and I really saw them. Right here a few months ago, and they accompanied me to where Voldemort was. My father, my mother, Sirius and Remus. They walked with me, talked to me and..." Harry shut up. The knot in his throat wouldn't let him talk and his eyes got wet by the memory, but he wanted to go on because he had never told anyone what they told him. "My parents encouraged me and told me how proud they were of me, Sirius gave me courage to tell me that dying was not painful, and Remus lamented not being able to enjoy his son Teddy."

Harry closed his eyes. He wanted to retain those images forever. He wanted to see them again, in despair.

"They were so real, Hermione. If it hadn't been for them I wouldn't have been able to go alone where Voldemort and the death-eaters were waiting for me. I want... to see them again. I miss them very much."

Harry looked up. There was so much understanding in his eyes, so much love and affection.

Hermione approached and suddenly put her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Harry put his arms around her neck and leaning his cheek on her friend's hair closed his eyes.

His parents smiled at him, as did Sirius and Remus. They looked happy and so real that Harry automatically opened his eyes as if waiting to see them there in front of him like a few months ago. But he was disappointed to see only darkness and tree trunks.

He frowned, confused. He wiped his eyes with one hand and separated a few inches from Hermione. Following an impulse he took her face with both hands. It was dark as they had put their wands away, but the clearing over them allowed him to see her. He had to recognize that she was beautiful, and only Merlin knew for how long Hermione had that warm and deep look that penetrated him and making him feeling things he had never felt with her before.

Harry smiled at her and with his thumbs wiped the moisture away from her tears. He realized that her face was perfect in his hands, and that she liked it. Hermione smiled back, but a few seconds later she became serious.

"You desperately want to look for that stone, don't you?"

Harry could only nod. He lowered his hands slowly and put them in his pockets.

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. He pulled out his wand and with a lumos she illuminated his friend´s face to see him better.

"Harry. That's not a good idea. That stone is... black magic." She concluded, finding no other word to describe the Relic she least liked. She was whispering again, and with her free hand she clung to one of Harry's arms. "There is no magic that revives the dead, you know that, somehow the stone..."

"Hermione, you don't know how the stone works, you don't know what it feels like to see them."

"No, I don't know. You only see them because they are inside your head, your memories, maybe the stone is just a catalyst..."

Harry was losing his patience: it would take a lot of effort for him to keep whispering, and he interrupted her again:

"I'm not interested in how that stone works, I need... "Now it was Hermione who interrupted, not being convinced by her friend.

"No! You don't need it! Don't you understand? They are in your mind, in your heart, in your memories! The... dead must be left to... rest... in peace." Hermione could barely talk about nerves; Harry knew the terror she felt about everything to do with death and could understand very well what she felt when she saw him want to go into a dangerous part of the forest risking meeting giant spiders to take the stone and relive dead people, even if they was inside his head.

"You must not hold on to the past, it is not healthy and it will not do you any good. You must live the present and the future, move on. Please Harry." She had calmed down a little but her tone was one of supplication. The girl put her hand over Harry's crossed arms and looked at him a few centimeters away, imploring him with her gaze.

For so many months, since the battle and especially since he activated the stone on the way to his sacrifice (and saw them by his side), he longed to look for it, he desired it vehemently. But a few words from his friend ended up everything.

"Harry. Please."

Hermione squeezed his hand even more. Harry looked at her and nodded. He still wanted to look for the stone but surrendered to the presence and persistence of his friend.

She smiled satisfied. "Thank you Harry, I can't even imagine what it feels like, but it's the right thing to do. Now let's please get out of here."

They marched out of the forest holding hands. They weren't going too fast, Harry wasn't in a hurry and apparently Hermione wasn't either. The forest wasn't so scary at that point, and it even looked like a romantic walk. That idea made the boy smile, and thanks to the dim light the girl didn't notice.

"Will you go to the Burrow for dinner?" asked Harry a few minutes later.

"Yes."

"Are you still mad at me?"

Harry looked at her and saw her anger contained, but only nodded her head. Apparently the letters he had sent to her weren´t useful.

"Have you read my letters?" Harry continued, tempting luck. He could already see some lights coming from Hogwarts.

The girl nodded again without articulating a word, but her fury was gone. After a few seconds he took another risk.

"I would have love to get a letter from you, you know?"

Steadily walking and looking forward, Hermione replied:

"I didn't know where to send it. That's what you wanted, right?" she said.

"No. It wasn't what I wanted." he replied in grief. His heart began to pound as he noticed his friend squeezed her hand tightly intertwining her fingers with his.