Battles. No matter the outcome, they are always horrific. This was even the case in the wizarding world. Hogwarts was in ruins. The price of the final battle had been costly. The once magnificent school now stood in ruins. The school that was the pride of the hearts of everyone who attended was reduced to less than meager walls. The war may have been won by the side of light; however the toll on the school and those involved will never be repaired.

As Harry Potter made his way through the different corridors, or rather what was left of the corridors, trying to help with the cleanup effort, he couldn't help but think about going to sleep. The adrenaline he had been running on during the fight against Voldemort had already begun to wear off. He wanted nothing more than to run up to Gryffindor tower to see if maybe his old bed was still there. Or any bed to be honest.

Every time he came across a particular area he recognized, he would feel a deep sorrow flow through his body. This was his home. The only home he could remember feeling welcome. Every home he had ever loved was stolen from him. Voldemort killed his parents tearing their home apart. Peter escaped that night, and with him Harry's chances at a real home with Sirius. And now Hogwarts was in shambles, his only home he felt like would always be there. Even when the castle was mended, he wasn't a student anymore. What was he going to do now?

Just as Harry was about to repair the broken wall in front of him, Ernie Macmillan turned the corner and approached him. With an understanding smile, Ernie repaired the wall for Harry. "Don't you think you deserve a bit of rest after the morning you've had?

Harry just shrugged. "Not really, no. We need all the help we can get in repairing the castle. Even with magic, this is going to take a while."

Ernie shook his head. "Bloody heroes. Listen Harry, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for all the grief I gave you over the years. I've known for ages now how wrong I was to ever doubt you, but seeing you today showed me just how much of a complete arse I really was."

"Don't worry about it. If I was in your place I probably would have reacted the same way." Harry replied as he fixed a crack in the floor.

Ernie smiled again before saying, "Well, if there's no way I can get you to take some rest, then McGonagall was ordering people to the fourth floor where the flooring was caving in."

At Harry's nod, Ernie bade him farewell and continued down the corridor. He was just out of sight when Harry felt a familiar prickle on the back of his neck. Turning around he found the Grey Lady staring at him.

Taking a moment to find the right words, Harry said, "Thank you for helping me find your mother's diadem. I couldn't have defeated him without your help."

The Grey Lady nodded her head to tell him she heard him, and then she looked out the window beside her. When she looked back at him, she declared, "Your friends need you." And with that said, she floated up through the ceiling to the corridor above them.

Harry darted to the window, searching below him until he saw a couple of familiar redheads. It took him a second to realize that something was indeed wrong. Just below the window he was at on the second floor, sat Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Beside them lay a very dead descendent of Aragog. The thing had to be about five feet tall. On further examination he could see that Hermione had her head in her hands and Ron was screaming something he couldn't make out. When he finally looked at Ginny who was lying in Ron's arms, he realized she wasn't moving at all. Feeling as if the air was ripped right out of his lungs, he ran.

Author's Note: Hey guys, I know this chapter is short, and so is the next one. That's why I went ahead and posted them together. Trust me, the chapters are going to start getting longer, I promise. These are just the beginning chapters, they're simply meant to set the story. Thanks for being patient with me! And please review!