Author's Note: None of the characters belong to me, but since JKR likes to share, it's okay.
Chapter One
Let's see…the Goblin Revolution took place in fifteen…sixty-three. Hmm, wasn't there a Goblin Revolution in fourteen thirty-nine? How many times did these goblins revolt? No, wait. That was a Manticore Uprising in fourteen thirty-nine. The other Goblin Revolution was in thirteen ninety-four, not fourteen thirty-nine.
Argh!
Well, if there's one thing that I've learned through six-years-and-some-odd-months here at Hogwarts (and apparently Goblin Revolutionary history isn't one of them), is that the Forbidden Forest is less `forbidden' and more `recommended against;' becoming Quidditch captain turns anyone into Oliver Wood; not all Slytherins are evil but they're almost all arses; and saving the wizarding world as we know it isn't enough to get me out of my History of Magic exams.
Yes, that's right. After six long years with Voldemort trying to kill me, I finally defeated him earlier this year.
Though, I suppose technically that's not true, him trying to kill me, that is. Early on, it's not like Voldemort was making a special effort to kill me. Rather, I more or less got in the way. First year, I just happen to be there; second and third years, he was actually off in some forest somewhere eating rats. Fourth and fifth year he did try and kill me, but those were more like afterthoughts, since he needed me for something (my blood or the prophecy). But I'm sure he was getting annoyed with my surprising ability to survive, not to mention that first meeting between us. I can just picture it now:
~*~
"Lucius!"
"Yes Master?"
"I have a plan to rid the world of that Muggle-loving old fool Dumbledore!"
"That's wonderful Master!"
"Crucio!"
"Argh!"
"Mwa-haha!"
"Have I displeased you in some way, Master? Why did you curse me?"
"Why not?"
"Fair enough."
"Anyways, my plan is brilliant! It shall be like taking candy from a baby!"
"Erm…I hate to interrupt, but you know, last time that didn't work out so well. In fact, the baby kicked your-"
"Shut it! Crucio!"
"Argh!"
~*~
So, anyways, this last time, Voldemort decided to be sneaky about it. Rather than his usual `surprise' attacks that always occurred two to three weeks before the end of term like clockwork, Voldemort decided to do something completely different and attacked with a whole month before final exams. At the final Quidditch match of the season, to be exact.
It was a bloodbath - we kicked Ravenclaw's arse by 400 points and won the Cup! It was a grey, cloudy day, which makes spotting the Snitch really difficult since there's no reflection off of the sun. The match went on for hours until I finally grabbed the Snitch high up above the stadium. Good thing too, because that's when I saw Voldemort and his merry band of Death Eaters coming up the path from Hogsmeade. We had been expecting an attack through our spy, so although we weren't expecting one at that exact moment, we were somewhat prepared. I flew immediately to Dumbledore to warn him, he called the Order, and the battle was on.
And then I did something that would make no one happy except for me: I went off to face Voldemort alone. The Order would say I'm not ready yet; Dumbledore would say that I haven't harnessed the `power I know not' (though, of course, if he would just tell me what that power was, it would have been a lot easier); and Ron and Hermione would be highly upset that I left without them; but as for me, I just wanted the whole thing done and over with. I thought I was as ready as I was ever going to be, and no one, I repeat no one would die because of me again. The year-long intensive training I had gone through all of sixth year paid off, as I dispatched Death Eater after dark creature after Death Eater with relative ease, relying both on my skills and their underestimation of a teenage boy. And then finally, it was me and the big guy himself. I was a little worried that the other Death Eaters might interfere, but I was counting on Voldemort's ego to ensure that it would be mano a snake-o.
I'd like to say it was a duel for the ages, with wands slashing through the air and spells flying faster than the eye could follow. I'd like to say it was a matter of pure skill, that I finally bested him with a combination of ability, luck, agility, and moxie! But, of course, it wasn't like that at all. After the obligatory taunts, he struck me down the way he always does - through that damn scar. I thought Occlumency would protect me, but I was oh so wrong. The pain blinded me, and I fell to my knees with the only thing penetrating the haze of pain being Voldemort's laughter. I knew I was done for, that he would win. I thought about all the people I'd failed - my parents, Sirius, even Cedric. And then I thought about the people I cared about most who would suffer by living - Ron and Hermione.
And then it happened. The pain lessened. In fact, not only did the pain lessen, but it was reversed: Voldemort was now gripping his head in agony. We both looked at each other in astonishment, but I wasn't waiting for Dumbledore to come by and explain everything. Instead, I focused my thoughts on the last thing I was thinking about when the pain stopped. And the harder I thought, the more Voldemort felt the pain. I didn't rise from my knees or even grab my wand; instead, I focused everything I had onto that single thought. I think the Death Eaters tried to interfere at that point, but they were prevented by the Order. All I knew was that I had to concentrate on that single thought until Voldemort was nothing but a pile of goo. And I mean that literally, because for whatever reason, maybe a result of the magics that kept him alive, eventually Voldemort dissolved into a puddle of goop.
I learned a lot that day. That life is precious. That my overconfidence almost got me killed. That I could count on the Order to stand by me. That cleaning up Voldemort was a messy job and took a lot of rags. But most of all, I learned one important thing: I was in love with Hermione.
Hermione was that single thought, the lifeline that kept me alive, that kept the pain away, that defeated Voldemort. Hermione's always been there for me, the first to be at my side. More than just my best friend, she's always supportive, always caring, but not afraid to give me a good telling off. She's been such an integral part of my life that I couldn't imagine living without her.
And don't ask me how I beat Voldemort, but no doubt through my shared connection with him, Voldemort couldn't survive the onslaught of love - apparently that was `power that I know not.' Would have been nice to know beforehand, but whatever.
So now that I had saved the world, it was time for my just rewards, right? You would think so, but then again I am, after all, Harry Potter. My life just isn't that good. As I knelt there, feeling all weak and wonky, I was suddenly enveloped in a hug, and my face was filled with bushy hair. Unfortunately though, it was the bushy hair that could be found in Hagrid's beard. No offense to Hagrid, but given the choice between soft, sweet Hermione and big, sweaty Hagrid, it's not much of a contest.
By then, the moment was gone. I think if Hermione had gotten to me first, I would have proclaimed my love for her right then and there, and we would have ridden off into the sunset, making babies left and right. But instead, Hagrid reached me and took me straight to the Hospital Wing. By the time I did see Hermione my courage had fled. Plus, we never got a moment alone together. The summer months that followed were filled with publicity tours, and when I wasn't in the public spotlight, I was busy moving out of the Dursleys. And since school started, I've been surrounded by well-wishers and fans. In fact, sitting here in the library is the first time since the final battle that I've had a moment to myself.
But, such is life. In the grand scheme of things, I couldn't complain since Voldemort was out of the picture, and I didn't have to dread the end of the school year. My biggest challenge wasn't trying to stay alive, but the History of Magic test tomorrow.
"Hello Harry, may I join you?"
I looked up from my book and smiled. "Of course Luna." Luna smiled in her distinctly-Luna way and sat down across from me.
Ah, Luna. Luna's definitely a…unique individual. I'm ashamed to admit that before, I was somewhat comforted by the fact that there's at least one person who was thought to be crazier than I. But by the end of fifth year, what with the Ministry and our talk about Sirius afterwards, I had grown to respect Luna. And we spent a lot of time together all during sixth year.
Learning Occlumency had never been easy for me. Even accounting for the intense animosity I had with my teacher, it was still difficult to clear my mind and form the mental barriers. That's where Luna came into the picture. She has the uncanny ability to achieve an almost perpetual serene-like state of being; very little seems to ever faze her. At Dumbledore's `suggestion,' Luna joined my remedial Potions lessons with Snape. She was a great help, and without her I would never have mastered Occlumency. In fact, Snape only called me arrogant and selfish once or twice after Luna joined.
And another thing about Luna: I know she's not impressed with the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing. In fact, I doubt Luna's impressed with much, but fame is definitely not one of them. With Luna, like with Ron and Hermione, I know she's my friend because of me, not my fame, and it's only natural that I gravitate towards people who aren't into my fame, like Ginny, Neville, and Luna.
But Occlumency wasn't the only reason we spent more time together. Ron and Hermione were often off doing their various duties first as prefects, and then Hermione as Head Girl, Ron as prefect. And in case you were wondering, I wasn't Head Boy. Ernie Macmillan got the badge. Nothing against Ernie, but I really thought I'd get Head Boy. I suppose Dumbledore didn't want to set a precedence; I'm sure he was afraid that people would think all you had to do to become Head Boy was to kill a Dark Lord, and then all these fifth and sixth years would be out there hunting down Dark Wizards.
Anyways, Luna and I studied in silence, me working on History and her on what looked like Arithmancy. After a few minutes, the sound of a throat clearing caught my attention.
"Hey, I hope we're not interrupting anything," Ron said. Hermione was standing next to him, both them probably just finished with their duties for the night.
I looked up and smiled at my two best friends. "Not at all. Hi Ron. H-hi H-H-Hermione." Oh, did I mention I get nervous and forget how to talk when I'm near Hermione? It's a rather worrisome development, and I fear it may interfere with my ability to sweep her off her feet.
I frowned slightly as they sat down; both of them had an odd look about them that I couldn't quite decipher, and not only that, but they sat on the other end of the table, rather then beside Luna and I; I would have thought that Hermione at least would offer some help, like usual. Something was up. Granted, the three of us haven't been able to spend much time together since the Battle, but I got the distinct impression that there was something wrong. However, since I was pretty sure, with Voldemort dead, that whatever was wrong wasn't a life-or-death situation, I wasn't in a panic about it. Ron looked a little put-out, but otherwise normal. It could be because of the test he had to study for. Hermione looked a little tense, but again, that could be because of the test. She quickly and efficiently arrayed her supplies around her, like a queen reigning over her books and parchments. Her hair was tied back loosely, and she got right to work. I love that look of intense concentration she gets when she studies, and I felt like I could stare at her for hours.
And probably would have if not for a sharp kick to my shin. "Ouch! What was that for?" I hissed at Luna.
"You were staring again," she whispered.
"I was not!" I whispered indignantly, but of course, I was. I'm not sure how Luna found out I had a thing for Hermione, but she's a lot more observant then people give her credit for. Over the next ten minutes or so, I tried to study while occasionally rubbing my sore shin, but it was hard to focus with Ron and Hermione talking in low whispers. And not only were they talking, but they were so rude as to speak softly so I couldn't hear what they were saying. I was irritated, not only at the talking and feeling left out, but especially that Hermione was talking to Ron and not to me. I mean, there's nothing wrong with her talking to Ron, but I admit I was growing rather jealous. Finally, when I could stand it no longer, I shut my book with a thump and stood, putting my stuff away into my bag.
"Leaving?" Luna asked in a mildly interested voice.
"Yes. It's suddenly too loud to study here," I said, throwing a look as pointed as Malfoy's face in Ron and Hermione's direction. And with that, I left the library.
A/N: So, I hope the first chapter sounds interesting. Updates maybe slow, because except for the general plot in the summary, I have no idea where I'm going with this.
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