Chapter Sixty Five

Harry felt strangely disloyal and unkind untangling his fingers from Voldemort's. He pushed the feeling to the back of his mind though, he would deal with it later, after some sleep, food, hugs and more sleep.

Lily pulled him up to his feet from behind and started to pull him away from Voldemort, "Why did the wand come to me?" she asked, it seemed like a miracle and she'd seen too much to believe anything was ever that easy.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, there was so much he wanted to talk to her, to everyone, about; the wand wasn't part of that, but he understood why she needed to know.

"It… it has weird loyalties." Harry tried to explain, "It belongs strongly to the person who owns it. I guess because you'd never kill me, it wouldn't either. Voldemort was probably lucky it didn't set him on fire or something, you'd certainly make anyone who tried to hurt me suffer."

Lily smiled and stroked his hair, "Yes I would. But why was it mine?" she asked.

"You disarmed Dumbledore, it was his." Harry guessed, "And Voldemort thought it was Dad because he thought Dad killed Dumbledore…"

Harry took off at a run, needing in that second to see Severus. The corridors were far clearer this time as it seemed no one but Death Eaters had been injured in the second half of the fight, a strangeness that Harry couldn't be bothered to work out right now.

He felt himself thrown backwards as he reached for the Hospital wing doors, cracking his elbow and head on the floor. Madam Pomfrey opened the door and looked him over, clutching to the door to keep herself upright.

"My Potter… you're alive." she gasped.

Harry nodded, rubbing the back of his head where a lump the size of an egg was coming up, "Yep, although now concussed I think. Voldemort is dead however and the Death Eaters are all injured, arrested or ran off so you can take the barrier down."

Madam Pomfrey gave him a sharp nod, "I shall ask the House elves to do so at once. You wish to see Professor Snape I presume?"

Harry nodded and shook off the aching in his arm and head, which left him slightly dizzy.

Madam Pomfrey extended her hand to him and pulled him through the barrier, "Bed eighteen."

Harry nodded again and walked slowly over, pulling aside the curtains and slipping into the chair next to Severus's bed. Harry wondered if Severus was asleep for a moment before he turned his face towards Harry.

"Harry?" Severus asked, looking over his son with his unbandaged eye, "I was so worried about you!"

Harry gave him a weak smile, Severus looked weak and in pain. His skin was deadly pale still and while his wounds were covered in clean, white bandages, Harry dreaded to think what lay beneath them.

"I'm all right." Harry assured him, "It's been… I saw James. He said he was sorry for the way he behaved when he was younger and that he was happy you and mum made each other happy. Sorry, that's a lot to dump on you… it's been a really crazy day!"

Severus's eye opened wide, "Harry… how on earth did you see James?"

"I thought I'd find you in here." Lily said, pulling the screens aside just enough to slip in, "Although we're going to have words about you running off and not telling me where you're going. I told everyone else to give you a minute, we can deal with everything else later. You're looking better." she said, kissing Severus's forehead gently.

"You're lying." Severus smiled, "But I thank you for it. Harry… Harry just told me he saw James."

Lily's face fell, "That means… you were dead, you were actually dead." She could feel her heart racing painfully out of control as her mouth grew dry.

"I'm OK Mum." Harry promised her.

He filled them in on seeing James, of dying and finding out he was a Horcrux, of seeing that small part of Voldemort's soul and that he'd asked James to take it with him. It was easier than Harry thought it would be. He felt every word leaving him that little bit lighter as the fear of everything began to float away.

His parents smiled at him and nodded in the right places. Harry had been worried it would all upset them both, but it didn't. They were happy, really. Long held worries that Lily had betrayed James some how by marrying Severus were finally put to rest.

"I still don't understand why Voldemort thought killing Severus would get him this wand." Lily sighed, after Harry had tried to explain it, "I disarmed Dumbledore."

"But he didn't know that." Severus said, clearly beginning to really struggle to talk or even stay awake.

"But you didn't kill or disarm Dumbledore either." Harry said, breathing a sigh of relief, it was one more truth that could finally come out.

"But no one else knows that." Severus said carefully, "And Harry… I would prefer it to stay that way."

Harry looked confused at his father, "I don't… why?"

Lily took Harry's hand gently, "We talked about this while we had the hour's rest, while you were… well, we don't need to think about that."

"They found Rodolphus junior's body." Severus explained, "At the bottom of one of the towers, it looks like he fell."

"Gemini pushed him?" Harry asked, although it was far more of a statement.

Severus nodded, "It's likely, but there's no way to prove it and for the most part no one is even suspecting her, they don't know she has a history of such things. Corvus is the only one of the family left… I don't think he could bare the guilt of… everyone would judge him for his sister's actions."

Harry clenched his fists for a moment, before forcing his fingers to relax, "But you will have to bare it? How is that fair?"

"I have you, and your mother and Danica and many, many more friends." Severus said, as firmly as he was able, "I can bare it, Corvus can't and shouldn't have to. Please Harry, the world doesn't need to know."

Harry sighed, he knew Severus was seeing himself in Corvus, he was protecting the boy like he wished he'd been protected as a child.

He nodded, taking his father's hand and giving it a gentle kiss, "If that's what you want…"

"Thank you Harry." Severus said, feeling a rush of relief.

Corvus had come into the Hospital wing to get some salve for a cut on his shoulder, he looked so small, so alone. He was lost in the world and at the moment didn't have a place. Severus knew that feeling and was happy to take a small piece of pain from the young boy's shoulders.

"I should go and see the others." Harry said after a while, spotting that it had been nearly an hour since he went into the hospital wing, wondering where all the time had gone.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Lily offered.

Harry shook his head and smiled, "No, it's OK. You should stay with Dad." he took a few steps towards the curtains, "When will Danica be back?"

"Soon I think." Lily told him, "I doubt it'll be long before Tonks and Remus hurry back."

"I'm looking forward to meeting little Luca, and I know Narcissa has promised to hold him for a week." Severus said, wincing as he did so.

"Dad, you need to sleep." Harry said gently.

Severus shook his head, causing a fresh patch of blood to start seeping through the dressings on his neck, "There's too much to do."

"And we'll do it, but you need to sleep." Lily said forcefully, brushing back what little of his long, black hair remained, "You'll be far more able to help when you can move without putting your life at risk."

Severus sighed and muttered something under his breath. Harry smiled at his parents sitting there, it had been so difficult for them this passed year, he was more happy than he could process seeing them together again.

He slipped through the curtains and quietly walked through the hospital wing, heading for the door. Some how, despite how injured Severus was it only hit him just how much work there was to do seeing the Hospital wing filled with suffering people.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Harry called.

She popped round the side of a screen, her white, removable sleeves and apron splattered with blood, "Yes Mr Potter?"

"I think Dad's going to agree to get some sleep." Harry said, forcing himself not to look at the blood, not to wonder who was behind that screen, "Just when you're ready."

Madam Pomfrey nodded, "Thank you Mr Potter, I was getting worried with how often he was refusing. Are you injured at all?"

Harry looked down over his arms and legs, almost unsure what the answer was, "I was dead." he said with a bit of a smile, "But I got better."

Madam Pomfrey looked shocked and let Harry leave the Hospital wing without another word.

For the first time ever, no one was waiting outside the doors of the Hospital wing for Harry. He stepped quickly out the way to let three of the Angels Calling carry another into the Hospital wing, her hand blown clean off.

He walked through the busy yet quiet hallways, everyone seemed to be talking in hushed whispers or not talking at all.

"Harry?" Luna said, coming out of one of the classrooms, "How are you holding up?"

Harry pulled her into a tight hug before speaking, "I'm…"

"Yeah, me too." Luna nodded.

"I'm sorry about your father." Harry said softly, flinching at how pathetic it sounded, how ever heartfelt he meant it to be, "I saw you before but you seemed a little lost."

Luna smiled at him though, "I know. I don't remember seeing you but I was in my own little world, wasn't as sunny as it normally is. Daddy saved me, did you know? He jumped in the way of a curse that should of killed me. I've now watched both my parents go."

Harry knew she was still in shock, that the real break down would come at some point later and made a mental note to keep an eye on her.

"He was a good man." Harry told her, "We visited him while we were on the run, we needed some help and he helped us without question. I will always be truly grateful for what he did for us, for all of us."

Luna nodded, dropping his gaze, "I… I've been laying out the dead." she explained, "From the other side. I couldn't be in the Hall any more."

Harry nodded, "I can totally understand that. I'm… I'm not sure what to do."

"Cho's in the Great Hall." Luna told him, "I think you should go find her. A little bit of her died too when she saw you laying at Voldemort's feet."

Harry nodded and watched Luna go back into the classroom, carefully arranging the bodies in a classroom, washing their skin of the dirt and blood everyone was coated in, brushing their hair and fixing any rips in their clothing.

Harry respected her for doing it so carefully on the 'enemy', it took more strength than most people would have had.

Harry left her to it and walked quickly to the Great Hall. His eyes swept over the rows of dead. There had to be at least fifty, fifty souls lost in this battle alone. He took a deep breath, forcing his shaking legs forward. He couldn't deny he was happy he wasn't one of them.

Cho spotted him and rushed over, throwing herself into his arms. He held her tightly, breathing in the scent of her hair, which while it was slightly muddy and smoky, still smelt like Cho.

"I love you." Harry mumbled into her shoulder.

"I love you too." Cho said, tears streaming down her face, soaking his robes, "I can't tell you how I felt when I thought you were… gone. I felt like I couldn't breathe."

Harry smiled to himself, he felt so much calmer now he was with her. She gave him the strength to believe that everything was going to be OK.

For the next seven hours Harry, as well as everyone else, worked through the night preparing the bodies.

Voldemort was to be buried with Dumbledore. Harry had suggested and pushed for it, he pointed out they were both just scared men who had fought and played with forces far more powerful than they were, for what they both thought was 'the greater good'. It would serve as a warning to the future.

No one had really argued. Almost the second the war was over stories about Dumbledore started coming out, even from before he'd set up Danica to manipulate Harry and his parents. He'd been playing with a lot of people's lives for a long time and finally people felt brave enough to tell their stories.

It seemed fitting, a statement that they would question even the most famous of people if it meant avoiding another war.

People cried, families came to collect their loved ones and as the minutes ticked by everyone felt more and more emotionally drained.

The Centaurs brought Tracy from the forest. They'd seen her die and collected the body, that's why she had been missing as Hagrid carried Harry back to the castle.

They had cleaned her up, taking the time to wash her dress so it was pure white once more and weave white flowers into her golden hair, so it looked like she was wearing a veil. She was perfect, her eyes gently closed, her hands resting on her unmoving chest.

Her mother had arrived and sobbed over her daughter, they'd even allowed her father to come in and say goodbye.

Harry watched as they cried clutching onto one another, knowing it would be years before they would be able to comfort one another again, not knowing what to say or do.

He walked over slowly, his quiet footsteps alerted Tracy's mother to look up, wiping her eyes and forcing herself to take a deep breath.

"May we help you?" she said crisply.

Harry took a deep breath, "I just… I just wanted you to know… your daughter and I… we didn't always get on, but she… she walked with me to my death out of the goodness of her heart and I will be forever grateful for that. I didn't want her to die. She… I… we thought she'd be safe…"

"She wasn't." her father sobbed, "But that's not your fault, Mr Potter."

"I'm going to write a statement to the Ministry." Harry said, "I don't know who the next Minister will be but I'll tell them you covered for me, you lied to Voldemort, to save me. Hopefully it'll mean you serve less time."

"You did?" Tracy's mother asked, looking admiringly but shocked at her husband.

He nodded, "The second that filthy half-blooded monster killed my darling Tracy he lost my loyalty. I'd have killed him myself if I could have." Tracy's father said solemnly, clutching his fists until he thought his fingers would break, the pain he was feeling was overwhelming.

"I… I hope it helps." Harry said, truthfully. Seeing them there, he would of done just about anything to let the two of them just go home and grieve in peace, to try and rebuild their shattered lives as best as they could.

They thanked him and Harry left quickly, letting them have the few minutes they had left with one another. It was long before Aurors arrived and placed Mr Davis under arrest, marching him away from his sobbing wife, who'd collapsed on the floor by her daughter, lost in her own fear and grief.

Harry was just sitting with Cho when, not for the first time since Harry had last slept, his name was screamed.