Believe

RogueBHS

Rating: R
Genres: Drama, Humor
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 10/08/2005
Last Updated: 10/08/2005
Status: in_progress

After the defeat of Voldemort, Harry decides to let people know what he thinks about heros, and what he believes. H/Hr friendship mostly...One shot...I think.

Chapters

1. untitled

1. untitled

Believe

By: RogueBHS

A/N: Just a little post HBP one-shot. Enjoy. Written "in memory" of two of my fav chars, and uses a little thing I got in an email.

Disclaimer: Don't own HP, never will...

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As crowds filed into the Great Hall of Hogwarts, three teens stood away from everyone else, watching those entering. The pointing and whispers they recieved were nothing new by now, and they took it all, only nodding occasionally at people they knew. A scowl passed over the face of the young man in the middle, causing black wire-rimmed glasses to slide down his nose a bit as he watched a toad-like woman enter, taking her seat next to a man in a lime green bowler hat. On his left, his red-headed best friend made a face as well, muttering a comment under his breath that caused the raven-haired one's scowl to turn to a smirk of amusement. Hearing the rather rude comment as well, the lone young woman of the group shook her head, not bothering to hide her own amused smile.

"Ron," she said softly, addressing the red-head. "Must you make such comments?"

The dark blue eyes of Ron sparkled in his amusement when he looked towards the girl. "Don't act so uptight, Hermy," he said, using the nickname he knew she hated. "Not like you didn't think the same thing when you saw the toad-lady."

Hermione gave him a mock glare, reaching across Harry to swat at Ron's arm. "Oh shush."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he looked between his best friends, smiling. "I thought this was why I sat between you two? To keep you from fighting? Don't tell me I have to put you on different sides of the room," he teased.

Hermione shook her head, eyeing Ron still. "Just so long as he can keep his mouth shut."

Before Ron could answer, Harry grinned. "There's no food around, so that shouldn't be a problem."

His joke sent Hermione into a fit of giggles that had those nearby turning to look, even as they took their seats, while Ron spluttered indignantly on his other side. Slowly, the trio calmed down again, slight smiles still curving their lips, even as the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour took his place upon the raised area where the head table usually sat. When the Minister looked around at the assembled crowd, he seemed to pull himself taller, and gave the closest thing to a smile he could.

"This type of meeting," he began, "hasn't been held in years, as many of you know. Under normal circumstances, the wizarding public is told of events through the papers or wireless, but recent events are far to special to not require special notification." As he spoke, a few cameras went off from the back, where reports from major wizarding papers from all over the globe stood, eagerly listening in for confirmation on the rumors they'd been hearing for nearly a week now.

"A good many of you have been hearing rumors ever since our young Mr. Harry Potter and his friends came stumbling up the steps of this school, asking to see its headmistress. And I'm here to tell you the rumors are, for once, true." Rufus gave a dramatic pause here, enjoying the way the crowd hung on his every word. "He Who Shall Not Be Named is indeed dead!" The last was said in a shout, and sent the room into cheers of excitement and (in some cases) fits of relieved sobbing from women. "Now, as I know you all want to question him yourself, may I present to you, our hero, yet again, Harry Potter!"

More cheering commenced as Harry stood slowly, shaking out his pitch black dress robes that it was insisted he wear. He took the steps slowly, drawing out the moment that he'd have to speak. There was no practiced speech for him, no way of avoiding the questions that would be asked. And as he took his place behind the podium, his green eyes immeadiately turned to his friends, who to his relief, were front and center for him. Slowly, as the cheering died down, his eyes moved, and he smiled briefly to Hogwarts' Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall before giving the same smile to the other Hogwarts Professors he knew. The room grew quiet, but still he said not a word, drawing strength from those he'd grown to care about so much during his time at Hogwarts.

Remus Lupin and Tonks both gave him encouraging nods when his eyes found them, near the middle of a set of seats, halfway back. Mrs. Weasley's eyes were still tearful as she smiled at him, and her husband just gave him a slight wave as he tried to calm down his wife. He found his ex-girlfriend, Ginny in the group of Weasleys, and gave her a brief smile that she returned. "Go on," she mouthed, and slowly, he returned his eyes to Ron and Hermione before looking up. The moment he did, camera's flashed in tandem, nearly blinding him with the force, while reporters moved forward to ask him questions.

"Mr. Potter, how did you defeat the dark lord?"

"Were you alone when you did this, Mr. Potter?"

"How do you feel now that all of this is over?"

"Were you really the chosen one?"

These and other questions were fired as rapidly as the camera's had been, and he waited patiently for them to finish, his mind tumbling over the questions, trying to remember those he did want to answer. A hush fell over the reporters again when he raised his hand for them to stop, his green eyes showing his impatience.

"I know all of you think I'm here to tell you how I'm such a hero and all that. But I'm not." Green eyes found reassuring brown, and a hint of a smile curved his lips. "Truth is, I won't tell you how it happened or if I was or wasn't the so called 'Chosen One.' Its none of your business. Voldemort is dead, for real this time. Yeah, I did it," he admitted, a bite to his tone. "But not because I had to or anything. I did it because, truth be told, I was sick and tired of loosing friends and family to the damned bastard."

A good many gasped at his cursing, but he didn't seem to care. "You can call me your damned hero all you want, but that's not what I am. You want a hero? Then just look around you, for Merlin's sake." He pointed to Mrs. Weasley suddenly, and many turned to look at her. "You want a hero? She's one, isn't she?" he asked. "She's a mum of 7 kids...all of them were involved in the war somehow, one right by my side to the end," he glanced at Ron when he said this. "But she just kept on doing what she had to. She worried and cried over the danger her family was in, sure," he admitted. "Yet somehow, she had the strength to still keep her family fed, keep her house clean, and her garden de-gnomed." Harry gave Mrs. Weasley a broad smile. "If that's not a hero, I don't know what is."

From down front, Harry heard Ron mutter, "Well that's set her off again," and indeed, Mrs. Weasley had burst into another round of tears over Harry's words.

"Hell, he's a hero too." Suddenly, Harry's outstretched arm moved, so now he was pointing to Remus, causing the werewolf to sink in his seat, while Tonks tried to hoist him back up. "He fought more bravely than some Aurors I saw," Harry said plainly. "Because of the fact he's a werewolf, just about everyone in this room would refuse to call him a hero. Well, I have two words on that topic." He noticed Hermione's warning look and ignored it. "Fuck that. He risked his life more times than one to ensure that in the end, old Snake Face would really die this time. And it worked. He rallied more like himself to help us, despite knowing that at the end of it all, no one would care to remember the efforts of a werewolf. Well...I think that's one thing that's going to change if I have any say in it," Harry concluded easily, and fought a laugh at Remus' glare for being singled out without warning.

"But in reality, if you want a hero, you can do more than just look around. You can remember people like Albus Dumbledore, or Madam Bones. You can remember ordinary people like my mum and dad, or Frank and Alice Longbottom." He looked at Hermione now, and repeated words she'd said to him months before. "If you want it even more simple, though...Truth is, everyone is a hero in someway to someone. Me? My best friends are my heroes...Albus Dumbledore is my hero...Remus Lupin...Just about any Weasley you can name," he said, a hint of a smile forming again. "Every last person you'd ask would probably say they're nothing more than ordinary. And perhaps some are...namely people like Voldemort." He heard the gasps, and couldn't fight the laugh this time, as he looked at Ron who was grinning.

"Sorry, but the whole 'lets take over the world and kill everyone in it' thing is far too overused to be extraordinary."

Slowly, as laughter died down, Harry's expression turned serious. "I'm going to end this little speech in a rather unusual way..." He gave a hint of a smile again. "By telling you things I believe."

There were muted whispers in the room when he said that, with even Ron and Hermione looking at him in curiosity. In the back, reporters had quills ready, and nearly everyone was on the edge of their seats by the time he spoke again.

His eyes slid to Hagrid, who was standing in the back, a smile now really forming on his lips. "I believe- that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become."

His green eyes moved to meet Hermione's brown, "I believe- that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that."

He looked to Ginny now. "I believe- that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."

The next he said to the room at large.

"I believe- that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe- that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe- that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe- that you can keep going, long after you can't.

I believe- that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe- that either you control your attitude or it controls you."

Now his eyes moved, focusing on Severus Snape, who, as it turned out, had killed Dumbledore at the old man's request. "I believe- that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences."

"I believe- that money is a lousy way of keeping score." He smirked at Percy this time, who was sitting with his family, and had the former prefect and head-boy bowing his head a little.

"I believe- that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time," he said, eyes back on Ron and Hermione.

"I believe- that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up." Draco Malfoy gave a brief nod from his spot in the back.

"I believe- that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel." Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, but smiled.

"I believe- that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated." Remus nodded.

"I believe- that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe- that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief." These two were obviously more personal, and had the smile disappearing from his face for a moment.

Then his eyes found Ron and Hermione again, and the smile returned. "I believe- that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do." Both Ron and Hermione shared a look at this, blushing lightly.

"I believe- that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever." Lavender and Pavarti ducked their heads, smiling.

"I believe- that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different."

"I believe- that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you." He smiled at the Weasley family broadly, and got 9 smiles in return.

"I believe- that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help." He nodded briefly to Hermione.

"I believe- that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being." This was said in the direction of Delores Umbridge, who looked less than thrilled at his words.

"But most of all," he said, his voice softer, and full of emotion. "I believe- that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon." With a sad smile, he looked towards the enchanted ceiling, and with the room as quiet as it had become, everyone could hear him quite clearly when he murmured, "I miss you..."

And while all knew that was directed to his parents, very few realized it was directed to two others as well...a Godfather with a bark-like laugh, and a Headmaster with a heart the size of Hogwarts.

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In Honor of Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore - two of (in my opinion) best characters in the books.