*NOTES* Okay here it is the last chapter of this story. I can't believe it is done but it does leave room for a sequel which I am writing. So get ready and keep the tissues close by cause if you think I going to leave the tears behind you are crazy. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story and put up with the long waits in between the update times. So thank you and I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely holiday season.
Harry opened his eyes to find a soft orange glow coming from his right. It was as he started looking around that he realized he was not at Grimmauld place but in fact he was in the Burrow. And he wasn't the only one awake. Grinning he looked towards his best friend and silently untangled himself from his girlfriend's arms. "Can you believe we did it, Ron?" Harry asked and as he did he took in the sight of four sleep forms. It appeared that Remus, Madame Pomfrey, Molly, and Hermione's mum had fallen asleep while watching over them.
"Want to play a game of chess?" Ron asked as he made his way to the kitchen table. Harry grinned and jumped out of bed.
The minute the two left Hermione's side she awoke. "Why is it that we can never sleep through the whole night?" She asked as she joined them at the table and silently summoned her bag to her.
"I say…a good thing we went back and got our bags," Harry said as he pulled out a chessboard from his bag. Ron nodded as he took out two handfuls of chocolate frogs from his bag.
Quietly they sat about the kitchen table each enjoying the others company. "Knight to E5," Ron said and he let out a grin. A whole hour had gone by and they had kept the noise down as not to disturb the others sleeping. But as Ron called out checkmate Harry let out a groan as Hermione giggled at them.
"What are you laughing at?" Harry asked as he threw a wrapper at her and she let out a shriek.
"I don't see why you play you always lose." At this statement Ron started laughing, "oh and like you have ever one a game?" He chided her and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Very childish, Hermione," Harry said and at this Hermione finally set down her book.
"You want childish, huh?" She asked as she gripped her wand. "Okay I'll give you childish, aguamenti!" She shouted as water sprayed out of her wand dousing Harry. Harry let out a shriek and at this the four grown-ups finally woke up.
Remus took in the sight of Harry getting sprayed by water and Hermione getting lifted off the ground by Ron who was seemingly trying to help his best friend out. It seemed that they weren't the only ones to be awoken by the noise the three friends were causing because everyone in the house had come down to inspect the reason for such a commotion.
"ENOUGH!" Madame Pomfrey shouted, but to no avail as Harry started his own attack and fired the same spell back at Hermione. Hermione got a face full of water, and Ron, trying to keep his balance, slipped and fell on the kitchen floor bringing Hermione down with him.
"I always said you made an excellent cushion, Ron." Hermione said in between fits of giggles.
"Oh get off of me," He said as Harry lifted Hermione off of Ron and then helped him up. "Guys I think we are in big trouble." Ron said as he took in the sight of Madame Pomfrey. The other two turned to look at her and then went to hide behind Ron. "Oh thanks leave me the one to deal with the crazy witch."
Harry at this statement started to laugh, "Run, run Ron before she gets us." He said which cause Hermione to laugh. "Tonight has been perfect," Harry whispered into her ear as she held on to his waist.
"Oh Harry," Hermione ran her free hand threw his soaking wet hair. "Anything where we get to laugh and just be is perfect."
"You three, I swear, I could almost kill you," Madame Pomfrey advanced on the three teenagers, but before she could get close enough to knock them all unconscious Molly came rushing forward and threw her arms around Ron.
That seemed to be the start as everyone came rushing forward. Hermione got pulled away from Harry as her mum and dad hugged her and Harry got a fatherly hug from Lupin. The hugging and crying didn't stop until the sun had come up and only then did Madame Pomfrey get her chance to finally heal their minor injuries.
She led them back into the living room and sat them down and as soon as she did Hermione pulled off her shirt. It seemed the girl had a couple of bad scratches on her stomach she wanted them healed; it also seemed that she forgot about the audience. For all the Weasley boys minus Ron and Harry were staring at her. She let Madame Pomfrey fix the wound and then threw the shirt back over her lacy pink bra.
"Thanks," She told Madame Pomfrey and then looked at Ron. "How is your wrist doing?" Ron just smiled at her antics and let Madame Pomfrey heal his broken wrist and then shook his head as the healer went on to work on Harry.
"You just get worse everyday. I swear as if the underwear and notes about tampons weren't enough now you had to go and flash my family."
"I was wearing more clothes then than I would be if I had been wearing a bathing suit." Hermione pointed out and Harry suddenly colored.
"Yeah remember that time she decided to go sun bathing," Harry trailed off and Hermione smacked him upside the head before she whispered in his ear, "I found another one I think you would like."
"How did I put up with you two?" Ron asked as he got up from the cot they were sitting on. "All the flirting and stuff like that. Sometimes you two are enough to make me not want to eat." Harry and Hermione laughed at this, and for that moment it seemed the three friends lived in a different world and the rest of the people didn't exist.
"I just have one question for you three and then you a free to go," Madame Pomfrey said as she rounded on them. "Did you spend three hours getting drunk of your asses last night?"
At this Harry started laughing, "No we went to tell my mum and dad that it was over." At this the three friends turned somber and looked at each other but all the while they were sporting grins. The war was finally over for them. They did their part and now they could rest.
Of course that was when Molly said breakfast was ready. "Oh gracious one," Ron turned to Madame Pomfrey and gave her a little bow, "can I please eat solid food now?" She gave him a glare before nodding her head in consent.
Ron gave a shout of joy and hugged the healer before he spun around and went to grab the nearest plate of food he could get his hands on. Harry and Hermione shared a grin before joining him at the table. "No offense, Harry, but this is to die for." Harry just shrugged at Ron's comment as he too dug into some of Mrs. Weasley's cooking.
"Well, did you leave the school in tack?" Minerva's voice floated over to the three teenagers whom each tensed at the memory of the battle they had just fought.
Remus observed their behavior before he nodded at Minerva to continue, "I need to know if we will be able to reopen in a couple of days?" At this Hermione stood up drained her glass of pumpkin juice and walked out of the house.
"She…well, we…it was rough," Ron said as he put down his fork and looked toward the door longingly. "You should go, mate."
"No," Harry said, his eyes were glued on the door. "She needs this time alone. Give her a second," At this Harry stood up and went to the window. He took in Hermione as she stood looking at the apple orchard. "The school," he said as he turned to Headmistress McGonagall. "Will be as good as new by the time Easter vacation is done."
Hermione knew Harry was watching her from the window and she knew because she felt safe. She always felt safe when he was around, but she also felt someone else watching her. Her mother was sitting in one of the lawn chairs looking at her.
"You know for the last couple of days you have put us through hell?" As she spoke Hermione knew the time for joy was over and her mother was letting out the anger and the fear she felt.
"Yes, well, the last couple of days have been hell." Hermione said softly as she watched one of the gnomes. "If you think this has been hard on yourself then you have no clue what I've been through."
"Hermione, you use to be rational, and now I don't see any of the daughter I knew," Hermione let out a sigh at this and turned from the gnome to look at her mother. She took in the dark circles under her eyes and the flat hair and how she seemed to slump into the chair in which she sat.
"Mum, this past year I've grown up more than I could imagine," she conjured a chair and sat down next to her mother. "But I still feel like I'm your little girl. You know the one that use to be afraid of that monster in her closet?" As Hermione said this she got out of her chair and climbed onto her mother's lap. Softly she murmured, "I wished so many times this year that everything that was happening was a dream." Finally she broke down, "But it wasn't. Mum, it wasn't and I couldn't make it stop. I had to just keep moving forward as everything got worse and worse."
It was as this was happening that Jane noticed the back door to the Burrow swing open and out came Ron and Harry. They looked somber dressed in their jeans and black t-shirts. She noticed them standing at a distance giving Hermione and herself some room but at the same time they were waiting for something. And this is when she noticed that her daughter had stopped crying and started to laugh. Hermione had quickly untangled herself from her limbs and ran into the embracing arms of Ron and Harry. Jane took in that she let lose as the boys' arms encircled her. Quickly and quietly she left them and went back into the Burrow and buried herself in her husband's arms seeking the comfort she could no longer give her daughter.
Ginny took in the sight of Harry, Hermione, and Ron in the backyard. She let out a sigh as she realized they had sunk back into their own world, again. This morning she had escaped back up stairs when she had come down stairs and found them all hanging out in the kitchen. None of them had noticed her and it was way before anyone else had noticed that they were up and moving. She highly doubted that Madame Pomfrey would have let them move if she had been awake. But Ginny had just taking them in for a couple seconds. She noticed that Ron was thoroughly kicking Harry's arse in chess and that Hermione was reading. But the thing that got to her, the thing that made her flee back up to her room, was the sight of Harry's hand holding Hermione's.
The image of their hands entangled had invaded her mind for the rest of the night. As she rationalizes it Ginny knew that Harry wasn't hers and never really was. He belonged to the world, almost, and when the world owned you it was hard to fall in love. Maybe he wasn't in love with Hermione; she thought over, it could just be a fling. The type of fling that happens when you are together all day and night for weeks on end and fighting terrible battle together, that just had to be it. It would all come crumbling down given time and Ginny would have to wait and see.
"Come on we should go inside," Harry said as Hermione untangled herself from their arms and gave herself a hug. "We have some explaining to do. After all it always made me feel better after I told someone about what had happened."
"Do we have to tell all of them," Ron whispered as he looked towards the door. He was scared and Hermione could see the light in his eyes was completely gone.
"Ron, your family is going to be so proud of you," she said as she snuggled into Harry. "I know because I'm immensely proud of you."
Ron only shook his head at this and made his way to the door. He turned as he put his hand on the handle and looked at his two best friends. There they stood not quite relaxed but still they held a sort of calm about them. It was clear, to him, that they were meant to be, and as he had seen over and over this past year they would take anyone down who tried to destroy their world. "You guys coming," they looked up at him before rushing over to join him. A trio they had always been and a trio they would always be.
"We should start at the beginning," Hermione stated as everyone had gathered around the kitchen table. She took in the people before her, the people she loved, and noticed one of them was missing. "Ginny isn't here." It wasn't a question just a statement. She knew the girl would have been hurt about Harry and her but, she thought, that at least she might want to hear their tale.
"I'm right here, Hermione." Everyone turned to watch Ginny take a seat as far away as possible from the three friends. "Go, tell your tale," She seemed to be challenging the older girl and Hermione never backed down from a challenge.
"Should start at the beginning…"
"We started there in the letters," Ron cut in as and Hermione threw him a withering glare.
"Right, well we left for Hogwarts a week ago."
"The town was completely deserted," Harry said.
"We apparated into the shrieking shack," Ron said with a smile.
As the boys cut her off once again Hermione threw up her hands. "This" she said, rounding on them. "Is why I'm not able to finish a thought." She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. At this Harry grabbed her and sat her down on his lap.
"But you love us anyway," Hermione let out a defeated sigh at this and just placed her head on his shoulder. "Harry this was your battle you should tell the story."
"Okay so we apparated in and went straight to the castle. There we expelled Hagrid and then set up waiting in the Great Hall." Ron gave Hagrid a sympathetic look and Hagrid just shrugged him off. "We had the map with us and took turns watching it for any sign of Voldemort. We had leaked to one of his Death Eaters about our plan during the battle with Nagini. Hermione here was brilliant during that battle." Harry gave her a small smile as she took in the faces of everyone around them. Everyone, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, Bill, Fleur, Tonks, Remus, Charlie, Fred, George, her mother and father, Minerva, Ginny, Hagrid, and Madame Pomfrey, had all gone white hearing this news.
"The first battle spell was fired at 9:30 am Tuesday. It seemed Voldemort had only come with a handful of death eaters. But they were his most dangerous ones. Bella was there, Hermione killed her and Peter was there Ron killed him and I…I…."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Hermione shook him awake at nine on Tuesday morning; it seemed the battle was finally going to take place. She rushed to wake Ron too and the house elves brought them fresh coffee mixed with a pepper-up potion and some strengthen drought. They ate some bread and an apple, each, really quickly before the first spell was fired at the huge doors protecting the Great Hall.
"We need to get out of here there is too much open space," Ron said but he knew it was futile there was no where to go. "You planned this didn't you, Harry?" and at that the doors to the Great Hall swung open and they were faced with ten Death Eaters and one Voldemort. "Well I'm going to say it no…We are doomed." Ron said and Hermione hit him upside the head with her hand before she fired off a shield charm.
*~*~*~*~*
"The battle was crazy and we lost track of each other from time to time as we each took on several opponents at once. I took on Peter, Nott, Macnair, and Goyle. Hermione took on the Lestranges, Dolohov, and Mulciber. Harry took on Greyback and Malfoy senior before he faced Voldemort." Ron said as Harry got that far away look in his eyes. He knew that his friend was reliving part of the battle.
"I don't remember much it is all kind of a blur. I mean after a while you just stop thinking and just react. I do remember when Hermione killed Bella though. She did it with a reductor curse straight to chest. Made her fly backwards into one of the pillars that had been previously broken she was impaled by a piece of marble jutting out from it." Hermione twiddled her wand in between her fingers as Ron said this and she stared fixedly at her feet.
*~*~*~*~*
There she was fighting with Bellatrix Lestrange. It couldn't have been more funny if it was a movie or more serious. But as Bella shouted out a killing curse, she thought that was the fifth one she heard out of the lady's mouth, Hermione ducked behind a pillar on the opposite wall. She shouted out the reductor curse and it hit its target sending Bella into the broken pillar behind her. Hermione doubted, in that moment, if she could ever forget the women's face as she realized what had happened. It was a mixture of shock and anger and a tiny bit of pity. This, Hermione thought, is what war did to people, it killed.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Finally, Voldemort shouted out his first spell." Harry said, "I don't know when this actually happened but it was right after I had killed Greyback and I was exhausted, I was pretty sure we had been fighting for days on end by then. We had even moved out of the room of requirement and had somehow found ourselves in the charms corridor."
Harry was then interrupted by Madame Pomfrey, "It was Thursday afternoon that that happened, Harry."
"You had been fighting for two days by then?" Remus asked in astonishment.
"Well, no, we had done some hiding in the room of requirement the second night, I think. We had made it so no one could find the place but we could see what was going on in the corridor." Hermione stated; she had taken a page out of Malfoy's book on that one.
"We are getting a little mixed up," Ron said as Harry gave him a grin. "Well I couldn't move. My leg had been hit sometime during the second day and almost came clean off. Isn't that right, Poppyseed? Hermione stayed with me and Harry left to finish it all off."
"Right I took out Greyback and suddenly it was just me and Voldemort. We fought our way back to the corridor outside the room of requirement. It was then that Hermione decided to come back into the fight."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hermione gave Ron yet another blood replenishing potion and it was then when she heard the sounds of spells being fired. She looked out to the movie like wall and saw Harry and Voldemort come into view. It was as Harry ducked behind on of the statues that Hermione gave up on waiting and grabbed her wand and went back into battle. She lasted about three hours helping Harry fight Voldemort before she got hit by some ceiling that no longer decided the stay up and she was knocked unconscious. Her last conscious thought was that Ron was still okay and that Harry would make it through this alive.
*~*~*~*~*
"She is a tough one," Harry said as Hermione finished reliving one of her parts in the battle. "I even believe she gave Voldemort a black eye when she kicked him in the face. I doubt he thought that someone would resort to not using wands." Harry gave off a laugh as he remembered the look on Voldemort's face as Hermione's foot came out and gave him one hell of a kick.
"I owe that all to you Tonks," Hermione said as she watched the girl blush with the praise.
"So it was just me and him," Harry started to say before Ron cut in. "I've got something for you man. I've wanted to do this all year but we couldn't kill the man until now. But I rigged this for you." Ron pulled out two figurines from his backpack and set them on the table. One was unmistakable Harry and the other was Voldemort. The immediately started doing battle with each other, but unfortunately it wasn't the way it happened.
"Very funny, Ron." Harry said as he pocketed the two characters. Ron just gave him a shrug as Hermione started to laugh. "I'm glad you find this amusing, Hermione." And Harry truly was glad that he had two such friends that were still able to laugh at his expense.
"So what happened?" Arthur asked as he was already on the edge of his seat from the fact that his son had gone threw all of this.
"I'm glad someone wants to know?" Harry said as he threw his friends a glare. "Well, we dueled from some time and finally I killed him by running him threw with the sword of Gryffindor. Cliché, I know, but Fawkes brought it to me once again."
"Well that was kind of anticlimactic." Fred said but he could tell by Harry's face it was anything but that. There were just some things you couldn't share because they couldn't be put into words and this was one of those times.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Hermione was down and Harry felt some anger soar through his body as he saw his friend fall. But he had no time to think about helping her as Voldemort fired of the killing curse at him again. Harry conjured up a shield to block it and they started firing curses at each other. All he needed, he thought, was to get Voldemort's wand away from him. As Harry thought this he called Hermione's wand to him and started using both wands. His wand he used to distract Voldemort by fling objects at him and Hermione's wand he used to finally summon Voldemort's wand into his hand.
It had probably taken a good five hours before this had happened, but when it did he felt a great victory and instantly thought of Dumbledore when he was fighting Voldemort during the battle at the Ministry. That is when the tides started to turn. Or at least that is when Fawkes appeared. He dropped the sword at feet of the statue Harry was standing behind and Harry finally realized the importance of the choosing Gryffindor as his house during his sorting ceremony.
Everything seemed to fall into place as he picked up the sword. It only took minutes after the gold touched his skin for Voldemort to fall.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"As Voldemort fell there was a rumble as he died, I think that the castle realized one of the founders was gone, forever. I was hit on the head by some crumbling ceiling and was knocked out until I awoke at Madame Pomfrey's house." Harry gave Poppy Pomfrey a nod as he concluded his story.
"And that is how it ended?"
"Yes, Hagrid, it is finally over. I, we can live our lives how they were meant to be, now." Hermione said before Harry could respond. "I think we should be heading out," Hermione stood up and helped Harry and Ron up.
"Where are you going?" Molly asked as she stood to block their leaving. She had almost lost them once she wasn't going to let them out of her sight for some time now.
"We are going home," Ron said as he stifled a yawn. "Haven't slept for days; at least slept without being induced by pure exhaustion."
"You are going nowhere," Molly Weasley wasn't alone in her abomination Jane Granger also agreed and Madame Pomfrey wasn't going to let them leave without one final check over. In fact the only person who seemed relived at them leaving was Ginny, but no one seemed to notice.
"Fine," Harry said as he saw no way out of this situation but to give in.
The day had progressed and the three teenagers were curled up on the couch as everyone looked on. Each person in the house was silently questioning another to make the first move. None of the teenagers had moved since Harry giving into them staying. They just sat on the couch and each cradled a cup of tea.
"You should go forward?" Minerva said to Remus who seemed to fiddling with something in his pocket. He gave her a look that clearly said that he didn't want to interrupt them but he knew he must.
Remus took the steps into the living room with a slightly heave heart. These past few days had been hard on him but now that they were back he didn't know what to say. "I think this belongs to you, Harry." Remus cleared his throat as he spoke. In his hand he was holding out Lily Potter's engagement ring.
Harry took the ring and looked at it for a minute, "I never thought I would be able to give this away." He said as his voice constricted. It was then that Hermione looked at him. She had successfully been avoiding his gaze since his hands had taken the ring. "So what do you think?"
"Is this how you're asking me?" Hermione let out a snort.
Ron started to out right laugh at Harry. "Well come on mate, "He said seeing the look on his friends face. "You have to admit that it wasn't very romantic. I mean I know you don't have a way with words but you could have done something a tad bit better."
"You didn't answer my question," Harry said as he gazed into Hermione's eyes which brimmed over with tears.
"At least you didn't ask when the world was ending," she said as she closed Harry's hand over the ring. "But now isn't the time. We have to adjust back into this world that we tried so hard to protect. We have to handle the press and our families. This is going to take time. And I'm not saying no. Heck I'm saying yes, but ask me again, when the time is right."
"The time is always right," Harry said as he slid the ring on to her ring finger on her left hand and this time she didn't protest. This time she just kissed his softly on the lips and murmured, "I want to finish school first." Harry let out a deep throated laugh at this and just held her close to him enjoying the feeling of being alive and being with the ones he loved the most.
"Well," Edward said. "I think I have to get to know you better, Harry." And with that Harry seemed to blanch for a moment before Molly called them in for dinner.
Dinner was quiet and it was shortly after that that they heard a pop come from outside the Burrow. Harry instantly grabbed his wand, Hermione shot out of her chair, which was facing the living room, and did a flip before bringing her wand into the dueling stance, and Ron rushed to the window to get a better handle on the situation. All he could make out was a figure who stayed in the shadows. Not wanting to take any chances he gave Harry the single to begin an attack when ready. But Hermione stopped them as she did a good guy spell. It was something she invented during the time at Grimmauld place and it had saved a couple of lives when they were out on some missions.
"It is the Minister of Magic," Hermione spoke up just as the minister knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer. He was met with quite a sight, Hermione thought, as she only slightly lowered her wand.
"What can we do for you, Minister?" Remus asked as he put himself in front of the three teenagers effectively blocking them from view.
"I saw sitting in my office when I suddenly got a fire call informing me that ten bodies had been found in the Atrium," As he said this Remus started to grin. The minister was clearly wondering what had happened and he was clearly worried about something.
"I believe what you want is this," Ron said as he held out a broken wand in his right hand.
"We will not be talking to the press," Hermione said as she joined Ron's side as they both stood off to Remus's left.
"The only people who will know the true events of what happened are us and that is the way we are going to keep it." Harry joined his two friends as he took in the broken wand.
"Is that? But it can't be…" The minister was completely lost for words as he took in the three teenagers and then the broken wand. "Well we will need a statement from you three. Not an interview," he said upon seeing their faces. "But something to assure the community that this is true."
"You will be getting no such thing," Harry said as he crossed his arm over his chest. "I promised Dumbledore I wouldn't tell anyone but these two and after all I'm Dumbledore's man through and through."
The Minister could see any attempt at getting a statement was futile so he just took the wand and went on his way. It was then that Remus turned to face the three teenagers, "What are you going to be doing with your life now?"
The three friends just glanced at one another before they glanced back at Remus and all three shrugged. They could do anything now that they knew they had all the time in the world to live, but first they were going to just enjoy their family.
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