Harry was woken up from his peaceful sleep by a nurse who informed him that Healer Davis would be there soon to check him up. He got out of bed to stretch his legs, in hopes of feeling more awake. He didn't have to wait long as Healer Davis arrived shortly after.
"Good morning gentlemen, how are you doing?" greeted Healer Davis.
Both men greeted her back, claiming they were fine. After a quick conversation with them, she cast diagnostic spells on them and visually checked how their wounds were healing. She was satisfied with their condition and decided to give them some good news.
"You are both on your way to recovery, so you will be free to leave this morning. Shortly, Healer Quicksand will come to give you your treatment plan to follow outside of the hospital. I'm sorry, Mr. Tonks, but you will need to wait a bit longer as Aurors and volunteers will take higher priority today, as they are needed at the Ministry this morning," she explained.
"It's fine healer, as long as I leave today, a few hours won't make a difference," replied Ted with a smile on his face.
Healer Davis smiled graciously, as there were a few patients who were not happy about being held a bit longer today. She said goodbye and left to check up on other patients, leaving them alone.
But they didn't stay alone for long, as a few moments later, they were joined by Kingsley and Bill.
"Ted, Harry, how are you feeling?" greeted Kingsley.
"Great, we are both leaving today. We only have to wait for Healer Quicksand to release us," replied Harry.
"And how are your injuries, Harry? Are you in pain?" asked Bill.
"Not really. My legs are tingling a bit, but a salve is helping with that. As for my left hand, as long as I don't use it, it's okay. I will need to visit Madam Pomfrey daily for the next few days for a bandage change, but overall, I feel pretty good."
"Glad to hear that, Harry, as I got a message from the Muggle Prime Minister. He scheduled a meeting for Sunday at noon. Will you be able to go?" asked Kingsley, worried.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Did you let Hermione know?" asked Harry.
"I didn't, and I would like you to do it. Bill is going to Hogwarts, so you can go with him and talk to her. Is that okay?"
Harry accepted the plan and turned to Bill. "Are we going there straight from here?"
"Yes, we are. I need to go speak to McGonagall as we hope she will help us with a problem. You see, there are a few prisoners who can't leave the hospital, as they don't currently have a place to go. We were hoping she would allow them to stay at Hogwarts until we come up with something," explained the redhead.
Their conversation was interrupted by Healer Quicksand, who came to the room. She gave Harry his discharge papers and explained how to treat his wounds. She apologized to Ted, who had to wait a bit longer, but he once again only smiled and told her it was fine.
"Harry, I have a favor to ask. Can you please let Andi know about me? I don't want her to get a heart attack when she sees me," asked the older man.
"Of course, I will. I'm sure she'll be at Hogwarts anyway, so it won't be a problem," he replied and got a gracious smile from Ted. Then he took his wand to send a patronus to Hermione.
"Hi Mione, can you please find Professor McGonagall and come to the Hospital Wing? I'll be there in a few minutes."
Prongs then left with the message, and Harry, satisfied with the outcome, took his things and said goodbye to Ted and Kingsley. Together with Bill, he left for Hogwarts.
During his journey to the hospital wing, Harry felt some discomfort while walking which made it take a few minutes longer than usual for him to get there. When he arrived, Madam Pomfrey, Andi, Hermione, Tonks, and McGonagall were all waiting for him. Hermione immediately shouted at Harry, noticing that he was limping with his left arm in a sling. Harry tried to diffuse the situation with a cheerful greeting, but all of the women there were not fooled and demanded an explanation for his injuries.
After he sat down, Harry explained everything that had happened during the fight. Although the women were angry with him for endangering himself, they knew that his actions had saved innocent lives. Andromeda asked Harry about Ted, and Harry confirmed that he had spoken to him and that he was fine, albeit malnourished and bruised. Ted was due to arrive at the hospital wing later that day.
Andi was overjoyed to see Ted when he arrived, and they spent time together as a family. Meanwhile, Harry, Hermione, Bill, Pomfrey, and McGonagall discussed the muggle-borns and their plans to meet with Kingsley on Sunday. They decided to take the letter that Kingsley had sent them and go to Downing Street to inform the front guards that they were supposed to meet with Kingsley.
Harry then invited Hermione to spend the weekend at the Burrow, and she accepted. They hugged before Harry left with Bill for a meeting at the Ministry. The meeting was brief, and they discussed plans for volunteers to work with the Aurors to catch escaped Death Eaters. Harry informed Robards that he needed to resign from helping them as he needed time to heal.
After the meeting, Harry and Bill went to the Burrow. Harry arrived first and waited for the Weasleys to arrive. Bill, being not so subtle, shouted as loudly as he could to announce their arrival.
"GOOD MORNING WEASLEYS FAMILY! I AM BACK HOME! AND I AM NOT ALONE!" Bill exclaimed as he entered the kitchen. He waited for the Weasleys to arrive to greet them. Mrs Weasley was the first to arrive and she immediately berated Harry for getting injured again.
"YOUNG MAN! HOW DARE YOU BE INJURED AGAIN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" She reprimanded him with hands on her hips.
"Good morning, Mrs Weasley. Please don't worry, I am fine. I will tell you everything when everyone arrives," Harry replied.
Molly Weasley was far from satisfied with that answer, but she agreed to wait for the rest of her family. A few moments later, every Weasley except Arthur and Percy was sitting in the kitchen, waiting for Harry to explain what happened.
It took a while, especially since they had to make a few pauses as Mrs Weasley cried hearing what happened, but Harry eventually managed to tell his story. When he finished, Mrs Weasley hugged him tightly and didn't want to let him go.
"I am fine, Mrs Weasley, really," Harry tried to calm her.
"You are now, but please Harry, be careful. We cannot lose you. You mean too much to us," she cried and hugged him even harder.
Harry choked up a bit hearing that. He considered the Weasleys to be his family, so knowing that he was just as important to them meant a lot to him.
"I promise, Mrs Weasley I will be careful."
"Glad to hear that. And please stop calling me Mrs Weasley. We are family, so call me Molly."
"I will try, Molly, even though it will be weird."
She chuckled a bit, and the kitchen became silent again.
"So Harry, what are you planning to do?" asked Charlie after a moment.
"Well, even though I have a busy weekend ahead of me, if it's okay, I would like to stay here for the next few days. And I know Hermione is planning to do the same."
"Of course, Harry. You both are always welcome here." She then stood up and started making breakfast for everyone.
"Thank you, Molly."
"Why will you be busy, Harry? I was hoping we could hang out for a bit, as we haven't played chess for almost a year now!" exclaimed Ron.
"Well, tomorrow, I am going to Gringotts to meet with my account manager. We will be going through everything my parents and Sirius left me, so it will take me the whole day. And on Sunday, Hermione and I will be meeting the muggle Prime Minister, and this meeting will not be short either."
"You will be meeting him? I would have thought that Kingsley would do that," exclaimed Charlie, surprised.
"He wants someone muggle-raised to be a representative. He knows how much his predecessors had damaged the relationship between us. Starting on the right foot is very important," Harry explained.
"I was wondering when Hermione will arrive?" Ron asked, changing the topic.
"She'll be here in the evening. She wants to help as much as possible before leaving for Australia," Harry replied.
"When is she leaving, and how will she get there?" Molly asked.
"She's leaving on Thursday morning and will fly by plane," Harry explained.
"What's a plane?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Remember your dad's charmed car? Imagine that car but twenty times bigger, with two wings, and that's a plane," Harry described.
"Is it safe?" Ginny asked, a bit worried.
"It's the safest way to travel without magic," Harry reassured her.
"Okay, everyone, let's stop questioning Harry. He's hungry and tired, so don't badger him anymore," Molly decided.
"It's fine, Molly. I don't mind," Harry said.
"But I do. You need to eat and rest, so don't fight with me on this, young man." Molly insisted.
Harry knew that she was behaving that way because she was worried about him, so he accepted her decision and didn't resist anymore. And if he had to admit, he was really hungry. He hadn't had a meal cooked by Molly in almost a year, so he stayed silent and waited for the food that arrived only moments later.
During the meal, they all kept the conversation light, as they could see that Harry was getting sleepy. Even though he had slept well since the battle, his days were full of work. That work, combined with his injuries, caused his body to be exhausted and it started to show on the outside.
"Okay, Harry, go rest now. You might fall asleep while sitting. We put a second bed in Ron's room a while ago, so you can rest there," Molly suggested.
"Thanks, Molly, but I think I'll sleep outside on the hammock. The weather is great, and I could use a bit of sun," Harry replied.
Molly agreed, and after Harry had stuffed himself to the brim, he thanked them for the meal and went to rest. He lay in the hammock and almost instantly fell asleep.
When he woke up, he checked the time and was shocked to see that it was already 4 pm. He stretched a bit, and after a moment, he decided against going inside. He wanted to stay outside, so he went to sit under the tree. He sat there for a while, thinking about the next few days and what he wanted to achieve. After some time, his thoughts were interrupted as he realized that Ginny was sitting next to him.
"Glad you finally noticed that I'm here," she joked, very amused by his reaction.
"Sorry, Ginny. I was lost in thought."
"What were you thinking about?" she asked.
"I was making plans for the next few days. What is everyone else doing?" Harry inquired.
"Charlie and George went to the alley to check on the shop. Ron fell into a food-induced coma after lunch, and Mum is preparing a feast for tonight. As for me, I've been flying, and then I went to nap. I woke up some time ago and realized you were awake as well, so I decided to join you," Ginny replied.
Harry knew that Ginny wanted to have a conversation with him, but he didn't know how to start it. Luckily, Ginny decided to initiate it.
"Harry, did you meet any wonderful women while on the run?" she asked jokingly, trying to keep the mood light.
"The only female I spoke to was Hermione, and we agreed a long time ago that we would never work as a couple," he replied.
"What about us? Do you see us working as a couple?"
"It depends. Ginny, while I certainly have some feelings for you, I would like to know how you see your future. What are your plans, goals, and dreams?"
"Well, that's not what I was expecting to hear. Can I ask why you want to know that?"
"Because I want to know if we are compatible in the long run. I don't want to get back together with you, just to find out months later that we want to do different things in life."
Ginny understood what he meant. He didn't want to waste his time on short flings but wanted a long-term relationship.
"To begin, I am coming back to Hogwarts in September. I want to do my best on NEWTS and win the Quidditch Cup. After school, I want to play Quidditch professionally for a few years. After my career ends, I want to continue working in the Quidditch industry. I want to have a home in a small village, a few children, and a quiet, peaceful life."
Harry listened attentively, wanting to know what her plans were. Unfortunately, he quickly realized that their plans were vastly different from each other.
"What about you, Harry? What do you want to do in life?"
"I am going to be a full-time Lord Potter. I want to use my influence to finally change something in this country, so my kids will not have to go through the same things as their father."
Ginny listened to him carefully and hearing his words, she accepted that they were not compatible with each other.
"We are not going to get back together, are we?" she asked sadly.
"Ginny, I think we should look for someone else, as we can't give each other what we need. You need someone who will come to all your games, and be your number one supporter. And someone who will be content to live his life far from the spotlight. And I need someone who will help me shape this country, someone who will take all the tasks that come with being Lady Potter. Meetings, balls, and other official occasions would be her everyday occurrence. And that is your opposite, so doing that would kill your true self," he said gently.
"You are right, Harry. While I would like to be your girlfriend, I get it that we will not work in the long term. And by not getting back together, we are saving ourselves from unnecessary pain."
Harry was glad that they had understood each other, as he didn't want to lose her as a friend.
"Will you be fine with me being here? I can go back to Hogwarts if it will make you uncomfortable..." He started, but he stopped after she punched him lightly on the shoulder.
"Don't be stupid, Harry. We may not be a couple, but you are one of my closest friends, and I want you here. And don't worry, I will be fine."
She then hugged him, and they stayed that way until they heard Molly shouting that Hermione was here and that dinner would be ready soon.
They stood up and went inside to greet Hermione. As they had a few moments still before dinner, the girls went to Ginny's room to talk, Harry found Ron, and they decided to play a quick game of chess. Ron won as always, and as they were debating whether to play another round, the floo activated. Soon enough, Arthur and Percy came through and greeted them warmly. At the same time, Molly finished preparing dinner and called them all to join her in the kitchen.
Soon they were all sitting at the table and started to eat. During the meal, Arthur told them about the reactions to the press conference.
"People went crazy when King announced that you managed to free the Muggleborns. But when he told them what you did, Harry, they all went silent. When they realized that you saved so many lives again, they started discussing what awards and privileges you should be given. We left only a few minutes later, but they were already calling the Ministry to declare your birthday a national holiday, and that we should make a statue of you and place it in Diagon Alley."
Harry turned red in the face hearing that and teasing from the Weasleys didn't help. But then he realized something bad. He paled and started to bang his head on the table.
"What are you doing, Harry?" asked a still-amused Hermione.
"Mione, until yesterday, I had almost two hundred unopened 'Thank you' letters. I am terrified to think what I'll find out when I come to Hogwarts tomorrow."
Everyone at the table laughed. Harry pretended to pout a bit, but secretly he was glad. He knew that they needed to focus on something else than Fred.
After they finished the meal, they decided to go outside to rest and relax after a long day.