Harry Potter sat up in his bed, now that he had planned out the next couple of months, it was time to complete the self-appointed tasks. He performed stretching exercises that he used to do for Quidditch training, his muscles throbbed pleasantly after all the soreness from yesterday. He looked at the clean clothes folded on the side of his bed, Kreacher's doing probably. He took the towel and went for a warm shower.
After a pleasant shower, he dried himself and changed into clean clothes. He slung Hagrid's moleskin pouch sideways and attached the first wand holster to his forearm and the second one to his upper thighs. The Elder wand thrummed with power under his fingers, but the Phoenix wand felt warm to touch like a blanket after a cold day. He attached the Elder wand to his forearm and the Phoenix wand to his thighs.
He walked out of the dormitory to the common room, some people were milling about the fireplace, and others were grouped on sofas talking amongst themselves. When he walked down from the dorm, eyes turned towards him and one by one everyone went silent. His expression turned stoic, but he had a small smile playing on his lips. No more shying away from attention, no more running away from leadership. No matter how much he acts and thinks like a Slytherin, he has always been a Gryffindor in his heart.
Suddenly, everyone started clapping and hollering, He could see the culprit standing in the crowd. His friend has come a long way from being shy, sweet, and timid. He cut a tall, straight figure with a bulk seen by his thick arms. Neville's eyes were twinkling with laughter as he clapped, Harry looked into his eyes for a couple of beats before laughing out loud.
"Neville mate, why would you do this to me?", he bounded across the room and clapped him on the back with a big hug. "What wrong did I commit that you make me suffer through this?"
"Well Harry, this is what you get for offing that Voldemort guy", he grinned broadly. "How are you feeling by the way? I saw Hermione and Ron with all of the Weasleys in the Great Hall"
"You were the one who killed a big arse snake with the Sword of Gryffindor, I don't think you should be the one talking about getting attention", he looked around while speaking. Some people were around them listening to them talk, while others had broken off back into their respective groups. "I will meet Ron and Hermione afterward; I do need to talk with Ginny though". My expression turned serious, Harry leaned and whispered in Neville's ears "I also need to talk with a group of people after two hours, if you see Kingsley, Professor McGonagall, Bill or Mr. Weasley do tell them to be free in two hours. You will also need to come to this meeting. It is an important meeting regarding myself, Hermione, and Ron's mission which we have been doing for the past year"
"Ginny will probably be with the Weasleys in the Great Hall. I have to meet up with Professor McGonagall anyway because I need to floo-call Gran, I will tell her to contact Kingsley and contact Bill too". I thanked him and turned to leave for the portrait door. "And don't even talk about big arse snakes, we all know who killed the bigger one, Mr. Basilisk-Slayer", he yelled from behind me to the whole dorm. I gave a two-finger salute to the people laughing behind me without turning back and walking out.
The walk to the Great Hall was filled with scenes of devastation, gore, and blood. Harry could see people walking about, going their way, not even looking fazed by all the ghastly scenes. It brought home that whatever happens tomorrow, everyone's life has been forever changed. No one should be fine with seeing such death and destruction.
A deeply contemplating Harry entered the Great Hall, not paying attention to anyone. When he reached the Gryffindor table, he could hear pin drop silence. He blinked in surprise and looked around; everyone was looking towards him. A clap started from somewhere, suddenly the whole Great Hall was drowned with applause. He could hear hollering, and people banging on tables, the energy which swept the hall was infectious. He looked around, meeting eyes with various professors, and friends sitting at different House tables. He grinned broadly, feeling happy that here, at this exact moment, there was no distinction and discrimination seen regarding blood status or their Hogwarts house. It felt fulfilling to witness, and he promised himself that this ideal scene was what he would achieve and make a new normal for Wizarding Britain. He bowed graciously towards everyone as the sound tapered out and sat down on the Gryffindor table.
He could see Hermione, Parvati, and Ginny looking at him smiling softly. Ron was sitting beside Hermione eating with no care for the world around him, the whole Weasley brood was also there. Percy was sitting with George, who had a haunted look in his eyes, Percy was whispering in his ears, probably trying to comfort him. Mrs. Weasley appeared devastated and would look around her children, bursting into tears spontaneously. Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur sat together eating quietly, Daily Prophet laid out between them.
Looking around the hall, he could see various students sitting with their parents, Luna Lovegood leaning against her father and talking. Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, and other Hufflepuffs could be seen chuckling and whispering something. The Slytherin table had the least number of students, He could see Daphne sitting with her best friend Tracey Davis. There was also Millicent Bulstrode, Blaise Zabini, Astoria Greengrass, and other Slytherin colours sitting together with their respective parents.
He chewed and finished eating his food, It felt good to eat heartily after rationing his supply for the past year. He could see that Hermione was also showing signs of malnutrition, She had always been a curvy girl, especially with her toned legs and wide hips. Right now, though, she looked slim. He wasn't sure if he liked that look on her, girls may prefer to be slim and sexy, but to him, they always looked emaciated. What is the point of having a good figure if you can't even grab something when kissing them?
Harry Potter didn't know, but many people had thought of approaching him for handshakes, but the instant he had entered the Great Hall his Magic had buffeted the whole room. People could feel shivers going down their spine just by being there in his sheer presence. Whoever had looked into his eyes could swear that the green hue was twinkling brightly, reminding them of the color of the Killing Curse.
Hermione Granger was experiencing several conflicting feelings. She had loved her friend for all of her teenage years, but she had made a conscious decision to distance herself from him in the 6th year because the things she felt for him were too scary. She was a person who prided herself in always being logical, her intellect and smarts were the two things which she had been arrogant about. But whenever it came to Harry, the way her body reacted to him was never logical.
She had acted like a jerk in 6th year to him, it was devastating to see the hurt look in his eyes when she had derided him for being suspicious of Malfoy. She had soldiered on, so many nights crying herself to sleep and then she witnessed her other friend slobbering over Lavender Brown. Her world had come crashing down, she had shunned the one whom she had loved and the one whom she had thought to pursue had betrayed her. The myriad of feelings was too much for her, she had lashed out at everyone. The shame she had felt in the aftermath was a big blow to someone like her who had always thought she knew everything.
The last year wasn't looking any better, the locket brought so many of the dark thoughts which were buried inside her mind. It was no wonder when Ron had left them, he always had a fragile ego and huge insecurities. They had to ration their food, discuss strategies, research magic, and deduce Horcrux locations. In hindsight, there was not a single thing that the trio had to do in which he was useful. She had been steadily warming him to think about starting a relationship, but when he left, all the accumulated stress came crashing down. It was not even about Ron after that, it was a multitude of other things- her feelings for Harry, worry about her parents, and the war.
After Ron left, it was just Harry and her. It was after Ron left that she came to realize that she had never truly known Harry. In her mind, she had a box with all things named Harry Potter and with it she had easily drawn a picture in her mind about him. They had been the closest of friends for more than 6 years, but nothing could have surprised her more than Harry's actions after Ron's betrayal.
The morning after Ron had left, she had cried herself to sleep. She had woken up quite late the next day, He had said nothing but had greeted her with tea the next day. Black with no sugar, just as she loved to drink. He had sat close and slung an arm around pulling her into his chest. The love she had felt for him while quietly drinking tea, leaning into his chest taking in his scent was so powerful. They had stayed like that for half an hour, both not saying anything, but somehow the quiet was enough. No words were exchanged, no words were needed. Both of them understood tacitly that Ron was a moron, they needed to focus on the war and they still had each other.
The days following that were destructive to her psyche, Harry was attentive towards her. He would listen to her whenever she went on a tangent while describing some spell or telling some fact from some obscure book. Then he would start to discuss or sometimes even argue with her about studies, The amount of knowledge he had about practical wanded subjects was astounding. Her knickers would be soaked by the time their discussion would end, she had to change so many underwear because of him. But the most catastrophic were the casual touches, He would play with her fingers while listening to her talk, tuck her hair, and hold her close in his arms. The liberty he would take with her body should make her angry, but she never said anything.
He would invade her personal space whenever the debate got heated. She should hate him crowding over her, using his big stature to pressure her, but she would get so hot. Her cheeks would darken with a furious blush, they would be so close to touching lips that she had felt his breath in her mouth. Kisses on the cheeks were a common greeting for mornings or wishing a good night. The most surprising were the hugs, she always had been the one to initiate hugs with him. She knew he didn't have a loving childhood, so she had gone out of her way to show her love through physical touch. His hugs would envelop her body, the safety it gave her was astounding. She was a strong and proud woman, but it felt good that someone took care of her.
Her stomach would flip-flop every day when he would look and smile softly at her. Her cheeks would blush lightly, and she knew that a return smile with the same emotions would be reciprocated. She knew her heart was already his, filled with so much love that no one else would ever replace his place.
Then that damnable dance happened, they had danced the night away. Filled with love and missed opportunities, the air was charged with tension. Kissing him was as easy as breathing, there were no fireworks but there was heat, passion, and hunger. It was the culmination of many years of dancing around their feelings. That night he had taken her body like he had taken her heart. And every day after then had been the same. He claimed every inch of her body, marked her in carnal ways like a caveman, and she loved every moment of it.
The snowy night at Godric's Hollow, when they had Polyjuiced as an old couple had been like living in a dream. It was easy to see what the future would hold if they married. Then Ron had returned and the dream had come crashing down, she had become reticent, not wanting to shake the boat of their trio with Harry and her affection.
When Ron had suggested they save House Elves from the Kitchen, she had kissed him. She had made a mistake in a spur-of-a-moment decision because she wanted him to be the correct choice. She wanted validation for her decision in 6th year of shunning Harry and chasing Ron. But all she physically felt was slobber and mental disgust when she kissed him. She knew that fucked up just seconds after kissing Ron, and now she is trapped in a prison of her creation.
Her mind was far away, flashing through her memories of the times she spent with Harry in the tent while physically she was next to Ron. She realized that she was such a bitch. Parvati and Ginny chattered away something or the other.
Then the doors to the Great Hall had opened and a blanket of magic was released. A sudden hush fell over the whole hall, she looked towards the door to see Harry Potter had entered. Her core had dampened and her nipples had hardened. It was an involuntary reaction from her body to his presence, her body had recognized its owner whether she wanted to acknowledge him or not.