Chapter four
Over the next week, Harry had more visitors from people that he hadn't seen in nearly a year and they all asked the same thing, for him to attend the memorial ball. Aberforth dropped by and told Harry that he'd had Kingsley, the new minister, Ron and Hermione all stop by to ask him to talk to Harry about attending the ball.
'I told them it's not going to happen and it's the ministry that just want to put on a show and have you there to show you support them, sort of what Scrimgeour tried to do Harry.'
'Yeah, I know. If I was going to attend a memorial of any type, it wouldn't be put on by the ministry or held at the ministry. Kingsley surprised me though, I really didn't think he was the type to get pulled back into all that, but I suppose that was his life, being an auror, he worked for the ministry.'
'You know Minerva tried to convince this new minister that the memorial should be held at Hogwarts and it should have the people that fought that night attending. They might be receiving awards but they aren't invited.'
'Which is wrong and Minerva knows that. We spoke a bit about it when I was there helping with repairs. I know I might have sounded a bit harsh when Kingsley was here, but he just doesn't seem to get it. Sure I'd like to receive my parents and Sirius' awards, but I would rather not have them then get them given to me by the ministry when the ministry refused to believe me or you're brother. Another thing, only Luna and Neville, well apart from Ginny are the only two friends that I see quite a lot of even with all of us getting on with our lives. The others I've only seen when it suited them and mainly for this blasted ball, well apart from the few girls I know, we always talk.'
'That surprised me with Ron and Hermione, you three spent so much time together, it's like everything changed after the battle.'
'I understand that they want to get to know each other as a couple and not as friends, but they literally stopped seeing me. I wouldn't have minded so much if I got to see them even once in a while. We were all getting on with our lives or trying to, so I do get it, but they just completely ignored me. I went there, they ignored me, I sent owls, they ignored my letters, then they get surprised when I turn them down.'
'So you still don't know what you want to do with yourself?'
'Nope, I told Kingsley that being an auror was all I wanted, but that was what my life was like then, so an auror suited my life. Now I don't want that or any type of fighting if I don't have too. I don't know Ab, maybe I'll just take some more time and something might occur to me. What about you, how did you know that owning a pub is what you would like?'
'Well I wasn't smart like my brother and I always enjoyed the atmosphere of a small pub. It's just too bad the death eaters liked the same thing. I'm glad it's different now, I've finally got normal witches and wizards in there, well, the occasional hag still shows up, but not a lot though, which I'm happy about. What about that Harry, owning a business, you could afford anything really?'
'I did think about it, but I wouldn't even know what business would suit me. Then would it be a magical business or muggle, what in if I decide to do that. You know I got a letter last week asking if I'd be someone's body guard, they offered a lot for me to do that, not like I need to money, but again, I don't think it's something I want to do, fighting or trying to save someone else's life, even if I would if I saw someone in danger, but not for a job.'
'Take your time, I'm sure something will occur to you sooner or later. But I better be off, it's getting late and if I have any more people turn up asking me to talk you into this ball, I might start banning them from my pub.'
'Thanks Ab, I've told them in a letter I'm not going then I told them to their face, but they don't seem to want to hear anything I have to say except to say I'll go, which I never will,' Harry shook the old man's hand then headed to his weight room for a while to work off some of his frustrations.
Over the next week, Charlie and Harry spent most of their time in bed, but they both were very happy and content with their life. So even though Charlie was gone almost all day, the moment he got home the two men were together, always together. Ginny and Luna stopped by a couple of times so they could both ride the horses, both girls thoroughly enjoyed horse riding. Harry didn't mind because his two female friends loved and looked after his horses, Padfoot and Prongs.
Harry received a letter from Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore's portrait made a suggestion in regards to the memorial and Minerva though they might be the way to go, so Harry spoke with Aberforth, Neville, Charlie, Ginny and Luna about what was suggested and they liked the idea very much. So Minerva got a list together and started planning with the help of the staff, Aberforth, Harry and a few others that all thought the ministry ball was all for show and to let everyone think Harry supported the ministry, which he didn't. They never told the new minister or anyone in favour of the ministry ball and planned their memorial for the same night, on the year mark of Voldemort's death and the end of their war. Harry, Charlie, Ginny, Neville and Luna got together a lot to talk about how their ball will go and what certain others would think. But one thing they all liked was only the people that fought the night Voldemort died were being invited along with families of anyone that lost loved ones due to Voldemort and his death eaters.
They sent out their invitations and Minerva, Harry and a few others instantly got asked for a meeting with the new minister for magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt and the Wizengamot. The group with Harry sat down with the group of ministry people and outlined what they were planning and who were being invited and who were not allowed in. The new minister kept arguing that he was minister and it was his right, but when it was explained that this was being put on by the people for the people who turned up to fight and Harry Potter was paying for it, he realised he had no choice, so the minister for magic would not be in attendance the night of the Hogwarts memorial ball and neither were most of the employees of the ministry, only the ones that joined the fight. At first they tried to say that the ministry would not allow a memorial to be held at Hogwarts in hope they would get Harry and the others to attend the ball at the ministry, then Harry said he'd have the memorial at his place as the grounds were almost as large as Hogwarts, so the minister realised he couldn't use that argument and had to allow the other memorial to go ahead on the Hogwarts grounds. They were given the choice to still hold their own which they threatened to do, but Minerva and her group weren't worried. They knew they had the right people attending their memorial and not who the ministry thought should be at the memorial, mostly dignitaries, employees of the ministry and of course almost all of those never turned up the night that Voldemort died, so to Harry and his group, they didn't deserve to be part of any sort of memorial put on by anyone.