AN Hey idk if this will be published anytime soon. But if it does here is a premise. All of Canon intact except Ron and Hermione kissing and Dumbledore trained Harry in HBP and with that enjoy this.

Harry hit the ground hard, gasps roared from throughout the grounds as he was once again the boy who lived. Harry felt powerful, more so than he ever felt. Like something that had been draining him his entire life was gone. That must have been the part of Voldemort inside him that fed on his magic. Now he could feel it running thick in his veins like it did when he cast a strong spell.

Voldemort roared in rage and began to fire spells at him which he deflected.

"Let's end this the way we started it Tom, together." Harry said, and with a wave of his wand a golden barrier encased them as well as Nagni in her own personal cage. With a wave of his wand the sword of Gryffindor flew to his side and into a conjured sheath.

"Why won't you die?" Voldemort hissed.

"I have something worth living for." Harry said as he fired off a blue curse in Voldemort's direction to which he raised his shield, the shield however buckled to the shock of Voldemort. He roared and fired a black spell at Harry to which he raised his golden shield, it did the trick and absorbed the spell with ease. Harry fired back with a shot in the air, pebbles rained down and before they could fall he waved again and they turned into lions that darted towards the Dark Lord. With a yell he waved his wand in a large arch and fire rang out, the lions were instantly turned to ash and it was heading towards Harry.

Harry made a circle with his wand, and water appeared from thin air in a shield in front of him, when the fire met it the water turned to steam. Before Harry could counter Voldemort was on the move, with a flick the steam started to swirl and a lift Harry from his feet. With a stroke of his wand a large metal chain shot from his wand and embedded itself in the ground and he pulled. He was pulled off the air and was falling to the ground. He was falling fast but with a hand movement his falling was stopped a few inches from the ground and he softly fell.

Harry darted to his feet and was throwing up shields to block an array of nasty curses.

"I expected more!" Harry said confidently while firing back curses at speeds he never imagined at the Dark Lord.

Voldemort was being pounded by spells that keep breaking his shields, but he had the speed to erect another one before one of the spells he was sure would kill him got a chance. That didn't stop Harry from jabbing his wand at the ground which produced a loud rumble. The next thing he knew rocks from beneath him shot up and slammed him right in the chest, sending him through the air. Voldemort would have kept flying had it not been for Harry's golden barrier that stopped him dead. When he hit it, a searing burning hit him, and he hit the ground hard. By the time Voldemort got to his feet he found the stone from the ground encasing his arms to the ground.

Harry saw his rival being bound and made a run for the snake. With a wave his barrier was gone from around her and she lunged at him. Fast as ever he rolled to the side and at the same time he swung the sword from his belt and cut the snakes head clean off while it was in mid lunge. A deathly howl rang from the courtyard as black smoke rose from where the snake once was. Suddenly he could see Voldemort who's yell tore through the courtyard break free while a violet smoke like spell made its way towards Harry. He erected a shield as fast as he could, but the spell tore through and sent him to the ground rolling.

Harry was getting to his feet when he saw dozens of snakes coming towards him, with a wave of his wand they all turned to stone and with a flick all flew towards their creator, he deflected most of them while some of them made it past him and hit his so hard that for the first time in forever Voldemort could feel bones breaking from within him. He cried out and sent out the nastiest spells he could muster at the bane of his existence.

Harry saw the spells soaring towards him and erected a stone wall from the ground to protect him. The spells broke at the thick stone and with a push the wall was moving towards Voldemort. With a killing curse he blasted through the wall, and there stood Harry James Potter. Their eyes met and for a second everyone wondered what had happened. But then with a look both of them had their wands in motion.

"Expelliarmus"

"Avada Kedavra"

Beams of red and a beam of red met dead center as the light blinded all of those who were witnessing the grandest dual in history.

Harry and Voldemort's eyes met and they both knew, this was the moment the prophesy would come to an end. For better or for worse. Harry pushed with all of the magical energy he could into their connection. He could see the bead moving towards his rival. But suddenly Voldemort shot back even more powerful.

He was on the brink of losing it all, but all he could see was his life in front of his eyes. All of the memories, all of the times he had with his two best friends, all of the love he found with the shitty hand he had been dealt.

'Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times' Harry thought to himself. He had done the best he could with what life had given him. He had fought tooth and nail and managed to find some sort of happiness.

"This is for Sirius!" Harry yelled while pushing with all his strength, the bead where their magic met went back in the center.

"This is for Dobby!" Harry yelled while he pushed even harder and the bead moved so it was nearing Voldemort whose face had changed to shock at a boy of seventeen defeating him with raw power.

"This is for everything that you've stole from me!" Harry said finally letting all of his magic push towards his foe. The bead collided with Voldemort and the Elder Wand sprung from his hand and in to Harry's outstretched one and Voldemort's body dropped lifelessly to the ground. Before he could even enjoy his victory, he waved his wand and all of the Death Eaters present were shackled in golden boxes of energy. Screams of joy tore through the courtyard as Lord Voldemort had failed. Harry stood over his body and with a wave his body was turned to ash.

Harry let the barrier that protected his people fall and he dropped to his knees from exhaustion. The next thing he knew he was being hugged by his best friend Hermione.

All the loss, the death, and the pain. It was in part… over

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A few days had passed, there had been funerals for the deaths. All of them from the light side laid to rest on the Hogwarts grounds. The school was being rebuilt, hundreds of people volunteered to help repair the place that held a special place in their hearts. For Harry's part he had helped fix the school to great success. He had brought the prisoners to a holding while the ministry was reforming. Harry had already been offered the title of Minister to which he declined. He was many things; a politician was surly not one of them.

But he was asked for his recommendation to which he was pleased. Knowing most anyone he recommended who had some experience would be hired. He recommended Kingsley Shacklebolt as the new Minister to which he was elected barley a day later. Widespread search for the mark also bore more prisoners who were all sentenced to the kiss. Well that was all but one who he chose to speak on their behalf.

Draco Malfoy… Harry felt that as one last tribute to Albus Dumbledore, his mentor and grandfather figure he would give him a chance at redemption. But it had strings attached, in turn Draco was forced to swear an unbreakable vow to Harry which would protect everyone from him. He was sentenced to six months in Azkaban. After the six months were over he would be released and was to report to Harry. Their family, the Malfoy's wealth as well as the money from all of the families of Voldemort's supporters was seized to repair their world. Their homes seized for those who's had been destroyed by the dark. Kingsley pulled no punches in ensuring that the victims got their due.

Now the rebuilding of all they had was in full swing. Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived was rarely seen other than at Hogwarts and at Draco's trial. He was to be found in his Godfather's home. He wasn't alone, Hermione would come to talk to him whenever he was there. Ron was with his family, and they were in a mourning for Fred, and healing wasn't in sight for the clan.

Hermione for her part stuck to Harry's side like glue, and next week she would be getting her parents back. Harry was lost, on one hand he was happy that he had vanquished the evil that was Voldemort from this earth. On the other hand, the price had been nearly too much to bear. But crying for the dead would do nothing now, Albus had said don't cry for the lost, smile for the living. So, he would do his best to do that.

Teddy was with his grandmother. But Harry would come visit him at least once a week and hold his Godchild. He thought of taking the baby himself. But he couldn't do that to Andromeda, who had lost her only child. She loved the baby as her own, and he knew he would be welcomed to see Teddy anytime he pleased. He would be there for the boy his whole life. That was a promise.

But now was the hardest part, moving on. He knew deep down, all of those who had died would hate to see him give up on life because of this. So, Harry was determined not to let it run the rest of his life. He had never given much thought to what he would do if they won the war. He had wanted to be an Auror. But after this he never wanted to fight another dark lord in his lifetime. He was sure he could land nearly any job he wanted. But his mind was blank. He had spoken to Hermione about it as well. She was interested in possibly doing something in the Muggle World. She had always wanted to be a doctor. And through magic she could save lots of lives.

Harry personally thought it was a brilliant idea and encouraged her. She could work miracles with potions and such. But would have to be careful. Not that any normal person would come to the conclusion it's magic that healed them.

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Harry and Hermione sat across from each other. Eating dinner together had become a regular occurrence for the two and today was no different, well… for the most part. Even in the dim light of his house, not to be mistaken for a home, he could see something was bothering Hermione. She was more nervous than he could remember as of late. He also had a hard time catching her eye which was strange considering their eyes usually never left one another.

"Is there something bothering you Hermione? You seem on edge tonight." Harry asked concerned for his friend. She looked up at him and their eyes met before she looked away.

"Harry… Have you ever considered me in like… like a romantic way?" Hermione managed to get out, all the while looking away from Harry. Harry was shocked at the question, he had not expected it but that wouldn't stop him from answering her truthfully.

"If you want the truth you'll have it… When I first arrived at Hogwarts I may have met Ron first. But you in all your kindness fixed my glasses. As time went on I grew to think of you as more of a friend than I did Ron and by the end of the year I cared for you like I had known you my whole life. Second year was hard, the school was turning on me and you stood by my side. You trusted my instincts about Draco even though now I can see how stupid I was. And in the end, it left you petrified. It was then that I realized that I cared for you more than just a friend. And when you were woken up I was so happy, that hug was the first I had ever received, and it meant a lot." Harry began, Hermione looked more than a little surprised but Harry, despite his cheeks reddening continued.

"The next year was hard. I had a target on my back and I was also fighting feelings for you. I would linger when you talked, I would stare a little longer when you left, and I really couldn't stop thinking about you. But I also knew there was nothing I could do about it. I thought there was a mad man after me, so I knew I couldn't risk him trying to get me through you. But by then I had decided that I would make my move the next year, just so I could know if you felt the same way." Harry continued through his story, even though Hermione was slack jawed at his proclamation.

"Then everything went down with the goblet and I didn't get a chance. I mustered my courage to ask you to the Yule Ball, but you told us you already had a date, so my hopes were once again dashed. And by then I realized Ron liked you and I didn't want to ruin our friendship, so I tried to crush all of the thoughts I had of us possibly being together. And then Voldemort rose again, and I knew I couldn't put you in any kind of danger. But my lo- my crush on you never died. But hell, with that, I've known you since I was eleven and I've known you long enough to know that I love you and probably always will. But I was too late, and now you're with Ron and I'm happy you're happy." Harry finished, tears threating to fall from his eyes as he finished and laid it all out on the table for her.

Tears fell from Hermione's face when he finished and a hand over her mouth, in disbelief of what he had told her. Harry patiently waited for her to get a grip of herself, not trusting himself to stay within their boundaries as friends. Eventually Hermione regained some self-composure and she spoke for the first time since she asked her question.

"Harry… I've loved you since the moment I woke up in the hospital wing. I just never said anything because… well Harry I'm not saying you're shallow or anything, but I was always a plain Jane, I know recently I've… bloomed? But I didn't think you would ever be interested in someone like me. And all I can say is, if I was happy with Ronald, why have I done nothing but be with you? And not just now. When Ron left during the hunt I stayed with you. It was always you." Hermione said, smiling between her tears. And now it was Harry's turn to be the shocked one. He didn't expect Hermione had any feelings for him other than that of brother and sister. Which had hurt, but at times he had thought that she had shown signs, but he would chalk those up for other things. but now he had confirmation that she felt the same about him as he had for so long.

They both just sat there, staring into each other's eyes, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Harry… I was thinking that maybe… maybe since this is all over… and we both feel the same way… that maybe we could give us a chance?" She asked, more unsure than he could ever remember and the whole time his heart was just pounding in his chest. It was something that he had never thought would happen, the one thing he had hoped for. And It was right in front of him, feelings from underneath surfaced and he could feel all the love he had tried to bottle up burst open.

"I… I would love that." Harry managed to get out while he smiled as wide as he could remember.

"Can I kiss you?" Hermione asked suddenly, Harry was already moving towards here when they were broken from their trance by a rasping on the window which startled them away from each other. In annoyance Harry looked over to the barn owl that was knocking on his window. Harry expected it to probably be more fan mail. Which he received more than fairly often, but nonetheless he went to the window and took the letter off of the owl that had ruined his moment and began to read the letter and his anger quickly subsided.

Dear Mr. Potter,

As you know, school will be starting in a few months and there are some major areas that need to be addressed. One such thing is staffing, as of now we have a care teacher, runes, arithmancy, charms, muggle studies, history of magic, divination, astronomy, and herbology teacher positions filled. Currently there are many positions to fill and I thought I would extend an invitation to you to teach any of the open positions excluding potions. Which would leave you as our new (long term) Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher or the new Transfiguration teacher. Personally, I would be incredibly honored if you were to take up my mantle as the Transfiguration Professor, however I think we both know your talents are best used in DADA. You are also offered the honor of being the head of Gryffindor house. And lastly as my deputy Headmaster. But I would like to leave that decision for you to make. Contract wise the salary, which I am sure is nothing to you is G35,000 which is as much as I can pay a first-year teacher. But the pay can increase up to G3,500 a year depending on performance that I am sure you will meet. But please owl me your response as soon as possible. If you accept the first staff meeting will be on the 20th. There we will discuss any and all changes to staff and the conduct policy.

Love, Headmistress McGonagall

Harry reread the letter a few times while Hermione read over his shoulder. She smiled and hugged him when she was finished.

"Harry this is great! You were born to teach. In the DA everyone who was in it scored exceptionally high on their OWL tests. You're a born leader, who everyone looks to for answers. More than that you have lived through more than most could even imagine. Kids need you Harry, they need someone like you, you're their hero." Hermione said happily and encouragingly.

"I know Hermione, you actually won't have to convince me this time around. The only thing is by next school year I will be eighteen. Barley older than some of the students. But I am sure It won't be an issue. I'm going to accept. Although we'll have to figure out living arrangements and such. But I want to do it." Harry said with a smile before he began to pen his reply.

Dear Headmistress,

I would be pleased to accept the position as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and the head of the house of lions. I will require a large classroom and an office attached to it, and a large living quarter (enough for two). Thank you so much for all of the opportunities and I will not disappoint you

Love, HJP

Harry signed the letter and sent it off with the very same owl before the two settled back into dinner. Hermione teased him by calling him Professor the rest of the night.

"Um… So, Hermione, do you think you would like to move to the castle with me?" Harry asked nervously. To which he was answered with a smile and a resounding yes. Which got him smiling, the two talked more throughout the night and eventually got to bed. The staff meeting was in four days, so until then he had to prepare for his first day of work. That meant buying an assortment of new clothes, as well as starting lesson plans and finding the books he would want the class to use. His schedule just became a lot fuller. From hero bachelor to taken Professor.

That's the end of I and yup idk if this will ever be posted but thanks, probably beta'ed by Silver so thanks.