Looking to the Future

As teatime approached that afternoon several people began entering Harry's trunk and, subsequently, his trunk's room of requirement. Since Ginny was already living in the trunk there was nothing unusual about her presence. Since Ron and Neville were Harry's dorm mates and had been in and out of the trunk since the beginning of their sixth year their presence was not unexpected either. The same was true, in a round about way, for Luna and Hermione. Remus and Tonks had visited several times over the last 14 months so their presence, although unexpected, was not unusual. The two surprise guests were Kingsley Shacklebolt and Albus. Neither of them had been in Harry's trunk before and while Kingsley looked to be suitably impressed with the trunk's features Albus' eyes were alive with excitement and wonder.

If an old man could gaze in awe at the wonders of the world around him with the enthusiasm of a child of five or six the that old man would have been Albus Dumbledore. His blue eyes were sparkling with childish excitement as he looked around the room and took in his surroundings. In addition to the sparkle in his eyes, his mouth was hanging slightly open reminiscent of Harry's first experiences in Diagon Alley: experiences that seemed so long ago to Harry that he wondered if he would ever be able to go back an recapture the innocence of his youth.

In the intervening years he had faced his parents' killer numerous times, finally defeating him through the application of divine justice; seen a possessed man die by touching a boy whose very being was infused with the love his mother had gifted him as her dieing act; rescued an innocent young girl from the clutches of a madman whose memory had been possessing her through the auspices of a magical diary; gained a godfather, only to lose him two years later; participated in the Triwizard Tournament, seeing a friend die and watching a madman return from the dead at the end of the third task; learned about a prophecy that, due to circumstances beyond his control, bound his fate to the fate of a self-styled dark lord who was, at best, a hypocrite; learned to fight; lost his aunt, uncle and cousin to a group of Death Eaters who had, moments later, tried to kill him; and, over the course of the past 15 months, been either directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of said Death Eaters. How was he supposed to overcome that? How was he supposed to forget all of the pain and suffering and move on? He knew that a part of the answer, for him anyway, lay in his pensieve. After that it would come down to meditation and group counseling but what about everyone else? He knew that, no matter what, some way would have to be found to help the people heal so that they could move on and rebuild their lives.

"Amazing," Albus said as he sat down at the table Dobby and Winky had brought in for the occasion. "Simply amazing. And you say Dobby and Winky did all of this?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir. They did the main living quarters and the library by themselves; but as for the rest of it, we told them what we wanted and let them use their imaginations."

"Amazing. Never in all my years have I seen anything quite so magnificent."

Harry winked at Ginny. "Yes, well, what Ginny and I have discovered is that while house elves may be childlike in many ways they are more capable than most witches or wizards give them credit for."

Albus nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Something I have suspected for years. Sadly, circumstances being what they were, I never really had a chance test my theory..."

Harry smiled. He knew that Albus gave the Hogwarts house elves more leeway than most and that he was genuinely curious about their capabilities but if he had truly wished to 'test his theory' he felt certain that a man with his reputation could have found a way. On the other hand, Albus was a busy man and may not have been able to find the time. Changing the subject Harry said, "I'm curious, Albus, … I've been trying to figure it out months, now. Why do people start wars? Why do we fight so much? Why can't we all just get along?"

Kingsley snorted but didn't say anything.

"Ah, yes," Albus said. "The age-old question. Why are we so violent?

"To be honest with you, Harry," he said, "I have been asking myself that question for years and have yet to find an answer. That said, however, there are many reasons people start and fight wars. Sometimes, as in our most recent confrontation, wars are fought to preserve the rights of the people when someone like Tom Riddle wishes to take them away. In our case it was a battle of brains versus brawn; and I am happy to say that brains won yet again. Sometimes wars are fought over money or possessions. More often than not, however, wars are started by any number of people who are insecure in one or more aspects of their lives. It would seem that in order to overcome these insecurities they choose to assert themselves. These assertions do not usually lead to all out war but when they do the results, as you have just experienced, can be catastrophic. And then there is Ethrindell's view. According to him, spiritually speaking we are a very young species and each generation must learn and/or relearn the lessons of war until we get it out of our systems.

"I must say, however, that The Potter-Lupin-Granger-Padfoot Defensive Charm and the Purgatory Charm, while not necessarily addressing the underlying causes of war, will go a long way towards teaching people that there are consequences to our actions. Perhaps these two charms will pave the way for a new, more humane, criminal justice system."

As the evening progressed Harry learned that Madam Pomfrey had thrown a fit when Ethrindell had insisted he be moved to his trunk. The standoff had only been resolved when she had been given a tour of his trunk, including his room of requirement, and been assured that someone would be with him at all times. Most of the time it had been Ginny and either Dobby or Winky but Ron, Neville, Luna, Hermione and Remus had taken their turns as well. He also learned that he was to be honored with an unprecedented second Order of Merlin, First Class for his defeat of Tom Riddle and his Death Eaters.

The conversations ranged from the mundane, of returning to a regular schedule of classes (with optional training for those who didn't want to let their earlier training go to waste), to some of the celebrations that were going on around the wizarding world. Dedalus Diggle was once again making a spectacle of himself by shooting stars up into the sky at every opportunity and the muggels had noticed quite a few odd happenings, like owls being seen flying in broad daylight. One veteran weather reporter had even commented that it reminded him of Halloween 1981 when similarly odd events had taken place.

Towards the end of the evening Neville left for a few minutes only to return carrying Gryffindor's sword. "Since you will be meeting with Ragnok tomorrow you might want to take this along," he said.

Everyone but Albus looked curiously between the two dueling partners. Harry smiled. "Yeah, you're probably right. I did kind of promise him didn't I."

Neville nodded, grimacing slightly. "Yeah, you could say that."

When Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning the students, many of whom were still recovering from their injuries, gave him a standing ovation. Those who could not stand loudly either whistled or cheered their approval. Orville Burns, hobbling unsteadily on crutches and sporting a muggle-made artificial leg, struggled to his feet even went so far as to hobble over and shake his hand, saying, "Potter, I never thought I would be saying this to a Gryffindor but you're alright."

Harry smiled his thanks then, looking down at Orville's prosthesis, said, "You're alright too, Orville. If you ever need any help please let me know."

After watching Orville return to his seat at the Slytherin House Table Harry turned back towards the Gryffindor House Table. He hadn't taken more than a few steps when the students began chanting, "Speech! Speech!"

The chanting grew more insistent as he approached his traditional set so, even though he prepared, turned and walked up to stand in front of the Head Table. When everyone had settled down he looked out at his audience and, making eye contact with Andromeda Babcock, said, "Ladies and gentlemen – for you truly are ladies and gentlemen in my mind – I am humbled by your presence and honored by the fact that you … that you were willing to place so much of your faith in our joint cause that you were willing to place your lives on the line with the sure and certain knowledge that man of us could die, could make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. You are all heroes.

"In ages past our house rivalries have divided us. Over the past year we have we came together to defeat a common foe. I just want to thank you and say that the easy part – defeating Voldemort and his Death Eaters – is past. Now we have to rebuild our world. My hope, indeed my prayer, is that we will rebuild it in our own image: an image of friendship and cooperation."

As Harry left the stage he received a second standing ovation. This time. However, everyone, including all of the teachers, stood.

Three hours later, as Harry made his way down Diagon Alley, he could not help but notice the reconstruction efforts that were going on around him. Despite their best efforts some of the buildings, like Gringotts, had sustained heavy damage. Most of the stores were open for business but a few, like one of the apothecaries and a clothing shop or two had sustained so much damage that they were having to rebuild.

Harry noticed that George was helping in the reconstruction efforts at the apothecary. Even though he had met Fred on the other side and knew that he had safely crossed over it seemed odd to see one without the other. As he watched George would occasionally laugh at something someone said or crack a joke of his own. Harry knew that two of Joseph's friends from the elven realm were running the shop to give George the time he needed to adjust to life without his twin and was thankful for their assistance because, even though George seemed to be doing well, he knew that it would take time for him to recover fully.

As he walked towards Gringotts he noticed that several plaques had been mounted on the walls of various buildings to commemorate the dead. He also noticed that a space was being cleared for a permanent war memorial.

Harry stopped in front of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and read the small plaque mounted on the wall beside the door. He was impressed by its simplicity. It was a simple bronze plaque with a moving picture of Fred laughing at some joke mounted in a sturdy frame at the top. Under the picture was an inscription which read, "Fred Weasley: Born 1 April 1978, Died 31 October 1997. He gave his life so that others may live. We honor him through our laughter."

As Harry reached his hand up to touch the plaque the door opened and a little blonde haired girl who looked to be around five stepped out onto the stoop. "He's my guardian angel, you know," she said, looking up at Harry.

Harry glanced up at the little girl's mother, who was trying to exit the store, and then, lowering his hood, knelt down in front of the little girl. "You must be Stacey," he said. "I've heard so much about you from Ron, Joseph and Eileen. You must be a very special little girl to have Fred as a guardian angel. I'd watch out if I was you, though, because Fred can be quite the prankster."

Stacey's eyes grew wide as she realized whom she was talking to. Before she could say anything, however, Harry touched his finger to her lips and quickly glanced up at her mother whose eyes grew wide as well. "Let's keep this meeting between you and me," he said softly. "I've got some business to attend to at Gringotts and I would really rather no one know I was even here."

Stacey nodded her understanding and Harry pulled her into a quick hug. "Thank you," he said.

As he stood up Stacey's mother reached out and shook his hand. Thank you Mr. Potter," she whispered. I don't know what you did but, whatever it was, the fighting just … stopped."

Harry smiled softly. "A magician never reveals his secrets. Let's just hope I never have to do it again." With that he raised his hood, turned away and started walking towards Gringotts.

As he approached the bank he saw that several goblins were busy working on rebuilding the portico. The pillars were about half complete and he could see where they were getting ready to start working on the canopy. The construction side was roped off with a narrow path set aside for customers.

Carefully making his way into the bank so as to avoid upsetting any of the goblins working on the reconstruction effort Harry passed through both sets of doors and made his way into the lobby. Unfortunately, the only open teller was at the far end of the room. As he made his way down the length of the causeway he drew many curious glances from customers and goblins alike who seemed suspicious of anyone who would not lower their hood upon entering the bank. He also noticed that more than just a few wands were being drawn in case of trouble. Harry could understand their reaction and wanted to reassure then that everything was going to be all right but he had never liked the press and didn't want the fame.

When he reached the window the goblin glanced up briefly then returned to his scales, weighing some gem or ruby or other precious stone. Harry waited patiently for several minutes ass the goblin essentially ignored him. When it became evident that the goblin was playing a waiting game, wishing he would go away and leave him alone, Harry cleared his throat. "You know," Harry began casually, "I honestly don't think Ragnok would appreciate you being the one to delay the fulfillment of a blood oath, do you?"

The goblin started, almost dropping his eyepiece. "Mr. Potter?" he asked, his voice a strange mixture of growl, wonder and awe.

Harry nodded. "Yes. I have come to fulfill my half of the bargain."

The goblin quickly jumped down from his stool and scurried past several of his fellow tellers on his way to the doorway that would lead him to the lobby. Many of his fellow employees glanced curiously down at his as he passed and then looked appraisingly over at Harry who stood waiting at the absent teller's window.

Moments later the goblin reappeared at a side entrance and motioned for Harry to follow him. Several twists and turns later Harry and the unnamed goblin were standing outside Ragnok's door. The goblin knocked and started to turn away when Harry stopped him. "I don't know your name, sir, but thank you."

The unnamed goblin stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around. "My name is Ironhand, Mr. Potter, and you are welcome."

Harry nodded in return and watched as Ironhand left to return to his work.

Moments later Ragnok opened his door. "Ah, Mr. Potter," he said as he turned and led Harry into his office. "I had heard rumors that you were dead."

Harry grinned mischievously. "I was," he said nonchalantly. "But I have some very powerful friends who were able to bring me back."

Ragnok turned towards Harry with an incredulous expression on his face.

"It is a very ancient piece of elven magic," Harry explained. "I believe they call it The Resurrection Song."

Even though he flinched at the mention of elven magic Ragnok nodded. "I have heard of it," he said. "Elves and goblins may not get along, Harry, but we do respect each other's magic.

"You must have some very powerful friends if they were able to invoke The Resurrection Song on your behalf."

Harry blushed slightly. "Well, I guess you could say that. Have you ever heard of man called Ethrindell?"

Ragnok nodded. "When you mentioned him in your will I took it upon myself to determine his identity. If he is the Ethrindell of legend then you do indeed have some very powerful friends, Harry. The Ethrindell of legend is an immortal. Legend has it that he came to this world shortly after it was capable of supporting and sustaining life. He is, in a manner of speaking, one of this planet's guiding spirits."

"That would be him," Harry said, blushing on Ethrindell's behalf. "But I have it on good authority that he is a very humble man. He cares deeply both for and about all souls and will, if needs be, intervene in our affairs but he prefers working behind the scenes."

Ragnok chuckled. "Yes, that is what the legends say."

Removing his cloak Harry laid over the back of the chair he had used in July and began unbuckling the straps holding Gryffindor's sword in place on his back. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, what are you going to be doing with it now that it is yours?"

"It will be mounted and put on display in the British Museum of Goblin History, why?"

"Well," Harry began hesitantly. "I was wondering as to whether or not you could include a line, about Neville Longbottom wielding the sword in the final battle against Voldemort to destroy the last of his horcruxes."

Ragnok laughed. "I don't think you have to worry about that, Harry. The swords entire history will be included in the display, including your use of it to slay Slytherin's basilisk, your willingness to part with it in exchange for two of Tom Riddle's horcruxes, which you subsequently destroyed, and Neville Longbottom's use of it in the final battle."

Harry cringed slightly at Ragnok's casual mention of his encounter with the basilisk. He didn't know how Ragnok had found out about that episode but since he had Harry had no choice but to resign himself to a certain amount of notoriety in the goblin world to go along with his unwanted fame in the wizarding world.

After delivering the sword Harry raised his hood and left Gringotts and Diagon Alley. Tom gave him a cautious glance as he passed through The Leaky Cauldron but other than that no one paid much attention. Several of the patrons were still coming down from their high of realizing that Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Voldemort) was no longer a threat and would never come back. A few, like Stan Shunpike, were telling outlandishly exaggerated stories about their exploits during the war. Harry just shook his head at their antics because he knew that if any of them had been a part of the fighting the last thing they would want to do would be to talk about it. War, he knew, true war was a messy business that no civilized person enjoyed. They would fight in them with the goals of minimizing the bloodshed and securing people's freedoms but no sane man or woman would enjoy it.

From Charing Cross Road Harry made his way to the Ministry of Magic where he had a noon appointment with Madam Bones. When he reached the familiar, dilapidated phone box he glanced around to make sure no one was watching and stepped in, closing the door behind himself. Lifting the receiver he dialed 6-2-4-4-2 and waited. Moments later the familiar voice filled the booth with its greeting. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," the soft, feminine voice cooed. "Please state you name and business."

Harry sighed. As tedious as this process was, at least it was normal. "My name is Harry Potter and I am here to meet with the Acting Minister of Magic."

Seconds later a shiny gold badge tumbled out of the coin slot with the words "Harry Potter" and "Ministry Business" printed across its surfaces. As much as he disliked the attention this badge would draw Harry pinned it to his chest as the phone booth sank into the ground.

When the doors opened Harry stepped out, his confident stride betraying his desire to remain anonymous. Several people glanced his way as he entered the atrium but most were involved with other matters and took little notice. The three exceptions were Arthur and Percy Weasley and Madam Bones who were standing with a knot of people in the midst of the ruined fountain. Percy was the first to break away from the gathering and fairly nearly ran the length of the atrium to greet Harry. "Harry!" Percy panted as he trotted to a stop.

"Hello, Percy. What's up?"

Percy involuntarily blushed from the exertion. "We are trying to come up with a design for the new fountain," he said while catching his breath. "A few liked the old fountain and want the same design but the vast majority are against it and want something new."

Harry nodded his head in understanding. "I've heard that the people are planning memorials at all of the major battle sites. Why don't you create a memorial to all humans, high elves, wood elves, house elves, centaurs, pixies, faeries and acromantulas who fought and died since Voldemort's return. If you do it you might want to make sure everyone is treated equally. You should also include the goblins because Ragnok and his fellows played a major role in his downfall.

Percy looked startled. "They did?"

"Yes," Harry said softly. "They did. It was behind the scenes and a part of our agreement states that I am not at liberty to disclose the nature of their assistance but I can say that without their help our victory would have been incomplete at best."

Percy looked disbelievingly at Harry but Harry shook his head. "Just accept the fact that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. According to Ragnok, if the opportunities are not wasted, what we did could go a long way towards normalizing relations between goblins and humans on the social front."

When Harry and Percy reached the remains of the fountain Madam Bones reached out and shook Harry's hand. "Harry," she said, "I honestly don't know how to thank you. For what you have done the wizarding world, indeed the entire world, owes you a debt of gratitude we will never be able to repay."

Harry smiled briefly but shook his head. "No, ma'am. You don't owe me anything. I had a lot of help. If you want to thank anyone it should be Professor Dumbledore, the four founders, Merlin and an immortal by the name of Ethrindell Zhazrine who lives in the realm of the high elves. If it weren't for them I would not have learned what I needed to know to defeat Tom Riddle. You should also thank all of those who stood by me and fought and died to preserve your right to choose. If it weren't for them the final battle would not have been possible. I'm just the guy who cast the last spell.

A broad smile appeared on Mr. Weasley's face. "Harry, my boy, you are too modest. Albus told me, in strictest confidence of course, the lengths to which you went to ensure our victory and I must say that I could not be prouder."

Harry blushed slightly and mumbled something about doing what you have to do to get the job done.

Madam Bones laughed. "That's what I like about you, Harry. No matter how famous you are you are still humble."

Changing subjects she said, "You do know that Rufus Scrimgeour died in the final battle at the ministry don't you?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. Kingsley mentioned it last night."

Madam Bones nodded. I have a proposition for you, Harry. I am going to be pulling Kingsley out of Hogwarts next week because I need him to take over the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He has agreed on the condition we hire you and Mr. Longbottom, as aurors, as soon as you graduate from Hogwarts. He wants the two of you to spend the next two years working with Scotland Yard, studying and learning their investigative techniques. He wants you to start a detective division within the department."

Harry was shocked.

"I have had a number of private conversations with the Prime Minister over the course of the past several months. The topic of conversation, besides keeping him updated on the progress of the war, has been the formation of an elite squad, within Scotland Yard, that will be tasked with help us with our investigations. I guess you could say that this is an outgrowth of your request last year that we pull out all the stops to defeat Voldemort. We are pulling out all the stops to make sure something like that never happens again. Since you and Mr. Longbottom will be our primary contacts within Scotland Yard the Prime Minister would like to meet with you this afternoon and you and Mr. Longbottom next Saturday."

Harry was silent for several seconds as he thought about what this could mean to the wizarding world and its criminal justice system. The Potter Charm and the Purgatory Charm were most definitely tools that could be used in personal defense and the execution of sentences if a person was found guilty but the creation of a proper investigative unit would help insure that what happened to Sirius would not happen to anyone else. 'Innocent until proven guilty' would take a lot of the superstition and public opinion out of the current system and go a long way towards providing a fair trial for everyone accused of crimes within the magical community. The magical court system would most likely have to be overhauled as well but at least this was a start. Giving the courts the proper evidence would, he hoped, eventually force them to change their ways so that they could properly deal with that evidence. "I'll do it," He said.