Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and this wonderful world of imagination. It truly belongs to J.K. Rowling and I'm just having some fun with her characters.
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One Last Chance
Chapter Two: Relations and Reunions
Harry Potter, someone claimed to be normal, and not a hero of the Wizarding world, or the Chosen One, or the Boy-Who-Lived, or whatever else they called him those days--he was too tired. It was a waste of time trying to get some sleep. He was exhausted, but something was just not right and he couldn't slumber. The familiar snores of his best mate Ron Weasley didn't reach his ears. It was either because his friend had placed a Silencing Charm around his bed or he couldn't sleep either.
Harry was about to ask his friend if he was awake, when their dormitory door burst open and instinctively both Harry and Ron sat up straight in their bed, holding their wands pointed at the door.
"Hey, it's me," Hermione's voice came from the door. After they had lowered their wands, she took out her own and lit a lamp between Ron and Harry's bed.
"I thought you might be awake. I wasn't falling asleep, and so I thought I'd come to see if you two had gone back to bed." She had come in and sat on Ron's bed leaning against his shoulder.
"Why couldn't you sleep Hermione?" Ron asked her, concern evident in his voice.
She turned around to face him and said, "I don't know. For the first time I feel lost. I do not know what to do after this." There were tears in her eyes that she tried to blink back. She turned away from Ron and faced Harry who was looking for his glasses. She could not hold back her tears; they rolled down her cheeks. "I miss my parents. I wish they were here with me, now. They don't even know who I am now because of the Memory Charms I've placed on them. I'm a horrible daughter." Her voice broke and she began sobbing, pulling her legs to her chest and hugging them.
She couldn't think straight and this was the first time she had broken down in front of 'her boys' as she liked to call them. After living out on the streets for almost a year and not being sure weather or not she'd live to see the next daylight, she was totally lost now. The fact that she had almost lost her best friend as he had to go and give himself to Voldemort to be slaughtered like a lamb didn't help at all.
Ron immediately wrapped her in his arms, and Harry who had got up put on his glasses, crossed over from his bed and sat beside his two best friends. He put a hand on Hermione's shoulder
"You know Hermione you are not a horrible daughter; if you were you wouldn't have done what you did to them to keep them safe, and it is perfectly okay to feel lost." Hary said, consoling his friend as she continued to cry. "I'm feeling the same way right now and I'd love nothing more than to curl up next to someone that has been with me through all of this and cry myself to sleep."
Ron meet Harry's sad gaze, and the green-eyed teenager continued to speak in a soft voice.
"For the most of my life I stayed alone and went to bed alone, but I want and need to be near someone who means a lot to me- just so that I know that tomorrow I need not fear losing them to Voldemort."
He turned away from his friends, looking at the lit candle in between his and Ron's bed. Although he was looking at the flame, he was thinking of one particular person whom he spent all his time while it was his turn to watch the tent at night on the Marauder's map.
"At least," he added as an afterthought, " till I sleep."
Harry didn't want Ron getting into an 'all over-protective brother role'. He knew what he was saying and what he meant to say. Searching his friend's faces, he knew that they too understood.
Hermione extracted herself from Ron's embrace and moved closer to Harry. She turned his face to meet hers and gave him a watery smile; Harry returned it without reluctance. Seeing his hesitant smile Hermione choked on what she wanted to tell him.
"You scared me. When Voldemort announced you were dead, it nearly broke me. I felt that I had lost my younger brother; a brother I was meant to protect. It didn't help that Ginny came to me and asked me to tell her it wasn't the truth. I know you told us why you did what you did, Harry, but don't ever die on us again," Hermione told him all the while looking into his eyes.
Ron who had stiffened at the mention of Harry's death said, "Don't you dare run out on me Harry. I know it is not wise words coming from me remembering that I walked away from…"
"You didn't. The locket made you; Voldemort made you. Don't you dare say that you walked away! You were the one who came back," Harry cut in.
Hermione nodded in agreement and pulled both of her boys into a tight embrace.
"Promise me none of us will walk out on each other. Promise me we will be best friends forever no matter what. I know it is not realistic or practical or book- defined or…"
"Hermione, we promise," Ron said with a small laugh. Hermione going against practical book rules? This was a first.
Shaking his head Hermione broke the embrace. "It's better if we head down to the Great Hall, seeing as none of us can sleep? I know we're the only ones in the Tower. Your parents are there, in the Great Hall, Ron, and I know your mother will be worried. Better not to worry her more after…after…" She broke off. She couldn't say the word. Saying it would make all the more real. She looked at Ron; he was staring off into space; he had not heard her. He was thinking about the battle. There were tears in his eyes, which he was trying to hold back.
"You had to walk into the Forbidden Forest to your death, Harry, and you did it. Didn't you think of us?" Ron asked looking outside the window, his voice thick with emotions. "That was the worst I felt, You know, when Voldemort announced that 'Harry Potter was dead', sure I didn't believe him telling that you were running from him, but, when I saw Hagrid carrying your body. I have never felt so…" He couldn't complete that sentence.
"I did think about you guys, and it only made things harder." Harry was recollecting all that he was thinking while walking down to his death. He was angry with Dumbledore and was wondering if death was painful. He was trying not to think about his friends.
"What about Ginny? Didn't you think about her?" Ron asked his voice was barely above a whisper, and Harry could see he was trying in vain to hold back his tears.
"I saw her when I was walking down to him to…um…get myself killed." Hermione and Ron inhaled sharply. "I did almost turn back, but I that knew if I didn't…go down there Voldemort could never be killed, and that would result in only more death. So I walked on."
Harry paused, willing the tears to vanish. "It was not easy. When you guys and Ginny called out my name, all I wanted to do was stand up and shout out that I was alive, but I couldn't. I had to wait."
The three of them fell silent just enjoying that they could be together, and kept going over the fact that Harry was alive and it was finally over. Finally Hermione broke the silence. "You'll be talking to Ginny, right?" she asked Harry.
"Yeah," confirmed Harry, "And I'm not keeping anything from her. She has the right to know everything- but I want to explain...is that okay with you two?"
"You know Harry; you're talking about sharing all our dirty secrets with my sister. I can't decide if it is a good idea or not.But I think you need her to help you get through this- just treat her well and don't hurt her. Although she understood why you broke it off with her, that didn't stop it hurting any less."
"Thanks Ron," Harry said. Neither of them was looking at each other.
"You know you both could give each other a hug."
Both Harry and Ron stared at Hermione when she said this, looking from Harry to Ron.
"Oh don't you look at me like that. I told Ginny long back that my boys can't live with out each other."
"We are not boys Hermione!" Harry exclaimed
"Hey I'm your man!" Ron cried out.
Hermione just pulled them into her arms and said "Right--you are my man Ron and Harry you are my man too…" Here Hermione broke into a grin, "No, Harry will always be a little boy who needs me to look out for him!"
All of them laughed at this, shaking their head. Hermione pecked both of them on their cheek. "Well come on, let's not keep Mrs. Weasley waiting."
"Yeah, let's go." Ron nodded understanding as all three of them quickly sobered. The deaths were too fresh in their minds- their laughter didn't last long. They got dressed silently, pulling clothes out of Hermione small beaded bag, while she waited outside.
None of them could believe what had happened. Remus, Tonks, Fred, Colin and many more had died for the sake of removing the wizarding world from the clutches of the most evil man in Wizarding history.
They headed down to the Common Room and were walking over to the portrait hole, when it banged open. The girl Harry was thinking about came into his view followed by her brother Bill. She gave Harry a tired smile; one that he returned willingly. He walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug.
He didn't want to let go. He wanted to make sure that she was all right; that she was not just missed getting hit by the Killing Curse . Feeling his anxiety, she held on a little longer, trying to reassure him that she was fine and nothing much had happened to her.
She was also glad that he had not died. She knew in her heart he was not dead. It just wasn't true. Seeing him lying limp in Hagrid's hands had almost broken something in her and she wanted someone to confirm what her heart told her. She had begged Hermione to tell her it wasn't true, but the older girl didn't know what to say.
She gently broke the embrace and pecked him on his cheek trying to tell him that she was there to stay with him. She then turned around to her brother, Ron and best friend, Hermione.
"Mum's calling the three of you down. She wanted me to wake you up if were asleep. She doesn't want her family to go far away from her range of vision," she explained all the while staring at their, as in Ron and Hermione's clasped hands. "Come on you two; is there something you'd like to tell me?"
"Oh yes!" Harry said nodding his head vigorously. "Hermione decided that if she…"
"Harry, you better stop while you can," Hermione said hitting him on his head. "It's my story to tell and I will tell her later. Now let's go before Mrs. Weasley decides she needs to come and find us with the whole Order."
Few minutes later when they were in the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall cornered them and hugged the three of them tightly. "I thought I had failed Lily and James when You-Know-Who announced your death Harry. Don't ever play such games ever again! How could you do that?"
"I'm sorry Professor, but I had to do it. I'll explain later," Harry told her not knowing what else to say. She gave him a gentle smile and nodded her head.
"That means a lot Harry. Thank you. Why don't you go and let Molly check over you?" She regained her composure and walked off to find Kingsley.
"Come on. Mum's calling us," Ron said pulling Hermione's wrist who was in turn tugging at Harry's arm. Ginny and Bill, who had gone to rejoin the other Weasleys, to tell their mum that the three of them were on their way, when they were stopped by Professor McGonagall.
The three of them were pulled into a bone-crushing hug from Mrs. Weasley. She kept saying "Thank Merlin the three of you are all right." She only let go of them when her husband put a hand on her shoulder and asked her to leave the three as they were safe.
One by one all the Weasleys hugged them one after the other expressing their happiness over their safe return. When George hugged Harry expressing the same he had no idea what to say. All he could manage was "I'm sorry. I wish I had gone faster to him and finished him, but I didn't. I'm sorry…"
Tears were rolling down their cheeks. "You know it was not your fault. I'm sure Fred feels the same. He knew what he was getting into. He knew that he may or may not make it out of this battle and still he choose to stand by you, and you did save the rest of us. You didn't die, and that is important. I don't think I could have taken the loss of another brother in the same day."
"Well Harry, I wanted to know if you have eaten anything at all?" Mrs. Weasley started after all of them had seated down. "I also want to know what you have been up to since the wedding."
"Um….Mrs. Weasley, I promised McGonagall that I will share the story with the Order later on when there's a meeting. I hope you don't mind…but I really don't want to repeat it twice," Harry told her, unable to meet her eye. He didn't want to see the disappointment there. It was hard enough, when he was talking to Ron and Hermione, but to try and tell Molly Weasley, the lady-who-wiped-the-floor-with-Bellatrix-for-messing-with-her-daughter; he just could not.
Ginny decided to steer the topic away from Harry's disappearance. She did the only thing she knew would get them off, of Harry's back… "Oh well, it's not the same topic", she concluded once her lips were firmly planted on Harry's.
Taken completely off guard, Harry didn't complain. He did kiss her back. He had missed her so much and it felt good to feel her lips against his. Harry knew it was a bit hesitant. He resisted kissing her with all his might. After all, Fred had died and both of them had by no means forgotten that. Also the fact that Ginny's six…no five older brothers were near by, and not to mention her parents. The kiss itself didn't last long. Ginny broke it off after she felt her mother's resolve to find out what the trio had done had dissolved. She had not counted on her brothers. Oh, well let's deal with it.
Harry just closed his eyes and hugged her tightly. He didn't want to let go. This kiss had brought back the feeling of how it was to walk down to his death, after seeing Ginny. He had no right to call Cho's kiss wet, when a few tears had escaped his eyes while kissing her.
He took a deep calming breath, ignoring his tears. He was not ashamed to tell anyone that he had missed this redheaded wonder, and had felt scared when she realized he wouldn't be able to see another day. He did not want to remember the feeling when many had fallen in this battle. He decided to face the inevitable…the Weasleys.
Ron, who had noticed the tears, gave him a weak smile, reassuring Harry that it was okay and need not worry. She was with him and that was all that should matter…for now.
Hermione, whose head was resting on Ron's shoulder, was smiling up at the two of them with a small yet tired smile playing at the corners of her lips. Her eyes were bright and glistened in the light from the roof of the Great Hall.
Mrs. Weasley looked ready to burst with wedding plans for them, and she also had tears running down her cheeks. Mr. Weasley looked on at them with a warm look that made Harry feel guilty for what he along with Ron and Hermione had been up to. He had not known where his son was; whether he was alive or dead or cursed beyond recovery.
Charlie looked shocked to see his sister kissing Harry…anyone for that mater. Last he remembered, she was still blushing around him. Definitely not kissing and reducing the boy to tears much less. True, he had heard from his brothers that Ginny had started dating, and had been through two boyfriends, but by the look of things there was something more to that relationship than either let on.
Bill smiled at Ginny; she had always got what she wanted and here she was marking her territory with Harry. Bill had confronted Ginny after he had caught her in tears on Harry's Birthday. He was not surprised to see Harry return the same feelings to which Ginny had confessed.
Percy was reflecting Bill's thoughts. Ginny always got what she wanted once she had made up her mind. He did admire Harry's guts, as his emotions played on his face. He was happy for his sister.
George's face had a look that made Harry very nervous. He had seen those looks before and never wanted to be at the receiving ends of them. It looked similar to the gaze he and Fred had when they were talking to Ginny about Dean, her then boyfriend. They had looked ready to kill Dean. The only thing now was he looked ready to kill him with some new invention of his.
Seeing George made Harry uncomfortably in his seat. He looked up at Ron and Hermione for some sort of support, but all he got was a bunch of laughing Weasleys. Even Ginny was laughing seeing him looking all the more nervous. Then it struck him that George was only pulling his leg. He groaned out loud and started banging his head to the table. He had fallen into the twins'…no, George's game.
Ginny stopped him from breaking his skull and finishing what Voldemort had intended to do. The Weasleys suddenly sobered up when they saw Andromeda Tonks walking up to them with a tiny bundle in her hand. There was a sad smile on her face. When she came to the Weasleys, she gave the bundle to Fleur who was waiting to hold the baby. She sat down next to Harry and looked around the hall. "Where are my daughter and her husband?"
Only then did they realize that no one had told her about their deaths. Harry felt so guilty for not having thought of his godson. He turned to face her. He took in a deep breath to tell her what had happened, but he couldn't speak. How do you explain to a mother that she has lost her daughter and son-in-law on the same day when she had not yet healed from the wound with the death of her husband? He cleared his throat and looked into her eyes. Ginny, sensing his need, put a hand on his shoulder. Andromeda was confused by his behavior.
"Tonks and Remus are…" No he could not do this. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he tried his best to keep them from rolling down his cheeks. Her expression changed.
"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" she screamed. "Tell me Harry," she shrieked at the top of her voice. "Please tell me they're not dead! Please!" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper as she begged him to tell her it was not true.
"They are," he told her, at last finding his voice, but now unable to keep the tears back. "I'm sorry that I couldn't prevent it, and I know I am to blame." He got up to go away from the people he thought he had caused pain, but he was pulled back down into his seat.
"No, it is not your fault. I know whose fault it is. It is Voldemort and my sweet sister Bellatrix's fault. I knew that from the day Dora married Remus, but that didn't stop her or me from accepting Remus into the family," she told him. "Teddy is your responsibility. Don't go blaming yourself. Teddy needs you." She started sobbing onto Harry's shoulder.
Molly seeing the devastated woman came near her and wrapped the woman in a warm hug. She let go of Harry who looked down staring of into space. She stopped crying in a few minutes, either due to the calming draught Percy had handed her or due to Molly's infamous hugs.
Teddy suddenly started crying. Fleur didn't know what to do as she didn't want to disturb Andromeda. She looked at Harry. Not knowing what to do, he stretched out his arms so that Fleur could place Teddy in his arms. She quickly corrected him as to how to hold the infant properly. Ginny assisted him in rocking the child so that he would stop crying.
He stopped crying when Ginny started making funny noises to keep him quiet. He was looking from Ginny to Harry when suddenly he changed his eye colour to green and hair to sandy brown like that of his father. Harry couldn't help but laugh at this gimmick.
At that moment he realized Moony and Tonks lived on in Teddy, just like Dumbledore had told him once that his father lived on through him. The wounds of the battle will definitely heal, but only with time.
After dinner…breakfast technically…the four tables were vanished and purple squashy sleeping bags were conjured for all. Those who had to wait for the Hogwarts Express the next day had stayed back, although there were very few of them. Most had returned to their homes, escorted by their parents. They had all promised to return for the memorial service, which was to be conducted out of respect for the fallen warriors.
People pulled up the sleeping bags although the sunlight was streaming through the roof of the Great Hall. The Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Mrs. Tonks and Teddy, all slept together in one corner. This time Harry could finally sleep.
When Harry got up, it was dusk and the stars were beginning to appear. Next to him Ginny was still asleep, and on the other side Hermione had just opened her eyes. She caught Harry's attention and gave him a short smile, which he returned. George and Ron were awake. A few others such as McGonagall and Kingsley were awake as well.
Seeing Hermione and Harry awake, George called them over to his bedside. They got up and went over to him. Harry could see that George had been crying and so had Ron. Seeing this, Hermione knelt down beside the two brothers and hugged them both. This made George close his eyes and a few more teardrops leaked out. Watching this was one of the hardest things Harry had ever had to do. He never wanted anyone dear to him to die, but he never got what he wanted.
"How do we…I mean…I…?" George was trying to say something, but his tears wouldn't allow him to continue. "I have never been me. It has always been we, us… How am I supposed to be alone now? Fr… Fred. Why did he have to go alone? We promised we'd go together after many years. He wanted to get married to Elizabeth, the muggle girl who stays near The Burrow , but now what do I do? How do I run the joke shop?" He couldn't continue. He was now sobbing on Hermione's shoulder.
This woke up the rest of the Weasleys. Molly, seeing her son cry onto Hermione's shoulder, got up to hug him only to be pulled back down by Arthur. Ron suddenly realized that he has to be there for his brother. He realized that he was needed by his brother.
"You don't have be alone Fred. I'll be with you always. I'll help you run the shop. I'll help you create some new products. After all, our teachers were the Marauders!" Ron said kneeling down beside his brother and Hermione.
That night they sat drinking firewhisky to Fred's memory. Each one was recollecting their best times with Fred, and George kept telling them his dreams and a lot of pranks that Fred was the mastermind. Ginny was the other one who was hurt as much as George if not more. They had all passed out in the Gryffindor Common Room, that night.
The bodies had been moved out into a tent set up on the grounds. McGonagall wanted all of the students who had died buried at Hogwarts, next to Dumbledore. The idea was dismissed as soon as it had come up; they considered it a disrespect to all those who had died and not been students. Finally they agreed to bury the fallen in Hogsmeade.
The following day, after the remaining students had returned on the Hogwarts Express, the Order members and those who had stayed back to help with the rebuilding of Hogwarts, were gathered around in the Great Hall for breakfast. There were only a very few people who had opted to remain. The funerals were to take place at night as that was the time when the battle had taken place. Everyone was returning to Hogsmeade the following evening for the burials.
Only one table was used and the group there was subdued. The mood around the table was no longer full of fun and laughter. There were some conversations, but none of them was loud. Everyone had finished and McGonagall was about to assign various jobs for the gathered people.
She stood up when the oaken front doors banged open. There stood Fred Wesley, Nymphadora and Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, James and Lily Potter.
Harry, George, Andromeda, and Molly all paled and were shivering with pain, anger and hurt. The others had also become pale, but Kingsley was the only one to draw his wand. Mr. Weasley had tears running down his cheeks. It hurt him that he had lost his son and the pain would never go as there would always be a reminder in the form of George.
"Who the hell are you, and why are you impersonating dead friends and family?" Ron screamed. He could not bear to see Harry, George and his mum so shaken up. When the doors had opened he had only seen Fred and Snape, but after he got up he could see all of them. All he could say was "Why? Why dig at the same wounds? They haven't even healed completely!"
Harry who could not take this any more. He started walking up to them. They were…and he was certain…they were Death Eaters Polyjuiced to resemble the people standing there. What he wanted to know was how they got Harry's parents' and Sirius' hair for the potion.
"Please, don't Harry." Ginny was pleading and begging him to stay, and not walk up to his death again. Charlie and Bill were also holding him back.
"Okay I won't go up to them yet, but help me if you want; I am going to hex them into next year." He was breathing heavily. He turned toward them and raised his wand to hex them when Remus threw his wand at him.
"I am not armed and quite honestly I don't want to be at the receiving end of your hexes"
"Yeah, me either," said Fred and threw his wand toward him.
"Or me," said Snape and Sirius together. Both of them were glaring daggers at each other while they threw their wands toward Harry.
"Really?! Now all of you are scared at the receiving ends of three seventeen-year-olds and one sixteen-year? Remus how can you be so scared when your wife is an Auror?" Tonks asked glaring at her husband.
"Yes I am scared of their wands," James said. Lily gave her wand to James, who threw both of them to Harry.
"Oh fine!" Tonks said and threw her wand at Harry.
Lily and James were looking at Harry with tears in their eyes. They couldn't believe that their son was actually standing before them; after trying for almost seventeen years just to touch her son, while they sat watching his life on the screen, in the Common Room. It was the worst during the Christmas break in his first year. They could see what his heart's desires were, but they were helpless.
"Harry, it really is us. You do remember your talk with Dumbledore after the killing curse hit you, right? Something similar happened to Voldemort and because he had made seven of you-know-what, he was punished; required to send seven people he or his Death Eaters had killed back to life. He chose us," Lily explained, her gaze never moving from her son's eyes.
George came up next to Harry and kept his hand on his shoulder. "If you really are Fred tell me, what was the last invention you wanted to bring out into the market?"
"That tiny Snitch that consisted of Harry's photo and it would bust if anyone had the Dark Mark on their arm, stunning them," Fred replied looking straight into Harry's eyes. He saw Harry's face change from seriousness to horror.
"You guys wanted to use my photo? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Harry screamed out. Both Fred and George burst out laughing.
"What did I tell you, Fred? That is exactly how he would react. I think t-shirts with his name and photo would have been better. Would have been a hit with all the girls!" George said as he was walking toward Fred to give him a hug. Tears poring down his cheeks.
"T-SHIRTS? NO WAY! YOU HAVE TO GET YOUR PRODUCTS CHECKED BY ME BEFORE PUT THEM OUT INTO PUBLIC, AND YOU WILL NEVER USE MY PHOTO OR ELSE…"
George who was half way there turned around with a wide grin on his face asked "What Harrykins? Gonna hex us? Stun us, or some things stupid like that?"
Harry had a grin to rival the twins and simply said, "No I'll ask Ginny to help me put an end to that. You are aware of her Bat-Bogey Hex aren't you? She doesn't like other girls wearing t-shirts with me on them." He then turned toward Ginny and put on the most brilliant smile he could. "You would, wouldn't you?"
All the Weasleys were laughing then, forgetting the fact that the dead had returned. Ginny was starring at Harry with amusement in her eyes. "Yes Harry, I'll help you."
Fred cried out "Traitor!" and Ginny burst out laughing as she ran to hug Fred. "It really is you, isn't it?" she asked after she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
"Yeah it's me. You can't get rid of me that easily!"
"I never want to," Mr. Weasley said. He had his head facing the heavens in silent prayer to the gods who were listening. He was so grateful that his son had come back.
Fred walked up to his mother and hugged her and said, "It really is me Mum. I'm your Freddy!"
"Don't you ever play death on me again!" Mrs. Wesley warned and broke down on Fred's shoulder.
As all the Weasleys were reuniting with Fred, Harry's eye was on that of his parents alone.
"Are you really my parents?" he asked in a voice barely louder that a whisper.
They nodded. He was so stunned that he was not sure what he was supposed to do. Maybe it was the fact that he had accepted their deaths when he had called them with the help of the Resurrection Stone; that he was scared to accept the fact that they were alive.
Ginny nudged him to go over to his parents. He swallowed thickly and turned to look at Ginny. There was support in her eyes for him.
"Come with me. I can't go over there, all alone," Harry pleaded.
"Come on then. I can see Tonks jumping up and down anxious to go and see her son. You should never keep a mother away from her child," she told him gently as she pulled his arm, leading away toward the double doors.
"It's just like back in my sixth year, Ginny. The time I spent with you was like I was living someone else's life. As if I was living in my dreams. I knew it was too good to last long. I'm scared. What if I get attached to them again, and they get killed?" Harry asked her as he took tentative steps toward his parents.
"Harry, death is part of life. You can't escape it. It will come again, but this time make the best effort to do all the things you had wished you could have done with them. Promise me that you will do it?" She had come to halt just short of them, looking deep into Harry's eyes.
"I promise." Harry nodded.
"Go on then; give them all a hug. You learned to hug from the best--my mum," Ginny said pushing him toward his parents.
"Stay here. If this is a dream, I want you to be next to me if I wake up," Harry told her. Turning around he saw he was face-to-face with his father, with his mother's head resting on his shoulder, tears pouring down their cheeks.
His mother stepped forward and engulfed him in a hug which rivalled Mrs. Weasley's.
"I am living in my dreams," he whispered as his mother and father started smothering him with kisses all over his face; tears of happiness pouring down all their cheeks.