Word Count: 676

Easter Egg: Polka Dot Egg, Day: 29. Common Room

Take A Minute

The Gryffindor Common Room had been left mostly untouched by the battle. A few chairs had tipped, and there was dust coating the floor, but it was intact and a quick spell had it cleaned and the chairs righted.

Harry sunk into the armchair closest to the unlit fire and shut his eyes. He should go up to bed he knew, but he couldn't quite bring himself to. The thought of sleeping was both the most comforting idea and the most terrifying.

Hell only knew what kind of new nightmares he could expect to come from the events of the last few days.

Kreacher popped in, startling Harry so badly he almost fell out of the chair.

"Sorry, Master Harry," the elf murmured. "Kreacher bes fetching a sandwich. Yous must be hungry."

"Thank you," Harry said, as his heart calmed in his chest. He accepted the offered plate, which held decidedly more than a sandwich. There was also a pile of crisps, a salad made from what looked like slightly wilted lettuce and cherry tomatoes mostly, a slightly stale looking chocolate cake, and on the table, a pitcher of pumpkin juice appeared with a click of Kreacher's fingers.

"Thank you," Harry repeated.

The elf beamed at him and then left the same way he'd arrived, just as the Common Room door opened to reveal Ron and Hermione.

The two of them had stayed in the Great Hall when Harry had murmured that he was going to bed, but he wasn't surprised that they'd followed him shortly after.

They joined him by the fire, the same way they'd done many times over the years, each curling up much the same as Harry had in one of the most comfortable armchairs by the fire.

"I can't believe it's over," Ron murmured. His eyes echoed the disbelief that Harry himself had been feeling.

"It's not all over. There's work to be done," Hermione said, though she had a small smile on her lips.

"Not for us," Ron said, shaking his head. "We've done our part, I reckon. We deserve a break. And sleep. And food. And more sleep."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah, we do deserve a break. But we'll help."

Ron gave him a look and then sighed. "Yeah. I know. But let me think about the food and sleep a bit longer before we think about helping, okay?"

"Deal. How's Fred?"

"He'll be okay," Ron replied, smile a little shaky now. "He's… he's in rough shape, but the Healers are pretty certain he'll pull through. They're transferring him to the hospital; Mum and George are going with him."

Harry nodded. He'd stayed long enough to hear that Fred had survived, but he hadn't been able to force himself to stay in the Great Hall much longer than that.

"The Malfoy's have been arrested," Hermione said, looking at Harry. "I asked Professor McGonagall, and she said that Kingsley was keeping prisoners at the Ministry holding cells until they can arrange trials. They don't trust the Dementors. They've already started migrating back in the direction of Azkaban."

Harry nodded. "I'll speak to Kingsley about them. Narcissa helped me, in the forest. She'll get some leeway for that."

"And Draco?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know. I'll tell them he helped us at Malfoy Manor. He's a kid. He doesn't deserve Azkaban."

"He's our age," Ron argued, though Harry could tell his heart wasn't in it.

"I know," Harry agreed. "And he deserves to be punished for what he's done, but he was scared. Voldemort was holding his mother's life over his head to make him do heinous things. What would you do to save your mother?"

"I know, I know," Ron said. He leant over to steal one of the sandwiches from Harry's plate. "But remember what I said. Sleep and food and more sleep and then we'll help. But not before then."

Laughing, Harry offered the plate to Hermione and then took a sandwich for himself. "Okay, Ron. Sleep and food and more sleep and then we'll help."