THE HEADACHE

JK Rowling owns all the rights to the books and the amazing characters she created. I write only to satisfy my imagination and use my creativity and make no money from my writings.

Chapter 1 – Ends & Beginnings

It was over! It was over as Voldemort was FINALLY & COMPLETELY DEAD – and most sincerely dead as a Muggleborn was heard to say. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Savoir, the Chosen One and the current champion of the Wizarding World (of Britain at least), had completed what he was born (and raised according to Dumbledore's master plan) to do, and Harry was still in shock and, if honest, in disbelief.

He was also at a loss for words and for a short moment he actually froze, like someone had stunned him. Then people started cheering, applauding and just making noise in general. Some people came up to him to shake his hand or even hug him in thanks for (finally, as a few had the nerve to say) saving them. Harry wondered how long it would last before he would once again find himself being disapproved, slandered, etc.

It was then the headache-from-hell began. People began to drift away from him when Kingsley Shacklebolt called everyone to attention and assured people that something like…He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…would NOT happen ever again. Basically, he announced that he was in charge as temporary Minister of Magic, a lot of work still needed to be done, those Death Eaters who had escaped would be caught, trials would begin, yada, yada, yada.

During the speech, Harry was mercifully forgotten, or at least was until Kingsley was finished. Then other people would descend on him and they would have no mercy. Even during Kingsley's discourse, certain Weasleys were eying him – while mourning for poor Fred – but he was certain Ginny would be ambling over for sympathy or whatever and to hint that they should get back together immediately before she began to guilt him into doing so. He wasn't (and probably never would be) ready for that.

Meanwhile, Ron had finally caught his eye. He was hugging and kissing Hermione (whose back was turned away from Harry's vision) but he gave Harry a thumbs up and a nasty smirk as if to say "Ha-ha, I got something you've always wanted and didn't get and never will."

Harry had always considered Hermione the sister he never had, but Ron, and no doubt Molly and Ginny, thought differently. Despite her Muggleborn status, the girl was still considered a good catch by many but would never know as Ron and Ginny had been saying for years that Hermione and Harry, respectively, were property of the youngest Weasleys and woe to anyone who tried to get them – even for a Hogsmeade date.

Harry knew he had very little time to do what he wanted (for once), so sneaking over to a quiet spot, he called out for Kreacher, who popped in and waited for his master's commands. "Take me to the Prefect's bathroom" the elf was told and then did. Once safely in the bathroom, Harry gave his orders.

"First, Kreacher I want to congratulate and thank you for leading the house elves to our defense. You are a true hero and I will try to get you the recognition that other heroes get." This almost brought tears to the elderly elf's eyes but before he could say anything, Harry again spoke.

"Now there are three things that I want. The first is to have a much needed bath/soak, so please lock the doors and don't answer to anyone's call except mine. Second, please bring me a hot meal – with meat, mashed potatoes and a good, green salad – no dressing – with pumpkin juice and some clear, pure water and fresh fruit if there is any. Don't let anyone see you and if they do, tell them you don't know where I am and you are getting the meal for someone else."

"Third, after my bath and meal, I need you to take me to a room where nobody can find me. All I need is a comfortable bed with clean linen – and access to a bathroom – where I intend to sleep for as long as I can, which might be a long, long time. If I haven't woken up after a week, then wake me."

Kreacher nodded and was about to leave when Harry added "Wait, there is a fourth thing. I had Dobby acquire some Muggle…medicine. He kept a stash here and I had one at Grimmauld Place, which I had to leave behind when we were forced to escape. If Winky doesn't know where it is, then go to Grimmauld and look behind the dry food canisters, the one holding barley and the one holding dried peas. You should find a bottle of Tylenol – the medicine – there."

"Why doesn't young master want a headache potion?"

"Because I want my Tylenol as the headache potion gives me relief but then upsets my stomach. I must have an allergy to it."

After securing the doors and placing notice-me-not charms on the bathroom, off Kreacher went to follow his orders.

Harry practically ripped off his clothes and then submerged into the orange-scented warm water of the bath – it was wonderful. During the hunt, they mostly scourified their bodies and clothes, only washing with water their face and hands whenever possible. It worked but not too well and Harry wanted a bath more than a hot meal. He had just finished rubbing some lime-scented shampoo in his hair when Kreacher popped in with a large tray with delicious smells emanating from it. Harry stuck his head under water to rinse off the shampoo promising his hair that it would be washed at least twice more, before settling down to his meal.

And what a meal it was! There were slices of perfectly cooked roast beef (slightly pink in the center the way Harry liked it) with a generous scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy over it. Buttered peas and carrots (Harry's favorite veggies) completed the platter and there was a side dish of salad to go with it. The salad consisted of various forms of lettuce, diced cucumbers (seedless and peeled), chunks of tomatoes, black olives, chickpeas, sliced mushrooms, diced onions (shallots, he thought), assorted fresh herbs, slivered almonds, raisins, chopped walnuts and topped off with minced feta cheese. There was a tray with three different dressings if Harry changed his mind.

Dessert was a bowl of fresh fruit, consisting of strawberries, blueberries and sliced peaches in a sauce (which he found out later was a honey-brandy to preserve the peaches) and a small mug of cream should Harry choose to indulge. Having been starved for most of his life, poor Harry didn't know where to start. He then dug into the hot foods as he had dreamed of hot foods (especially meat) for the past year.

"Kreacher regrets not having pumpkin juice but it is being given to all peoples in the Great Hall, so Kreacher brought orange juice – from Headmaster's private stock." Harry nodded his thanks while munching away instead of saying it as he had always despised Ron's table manners but didn't want to insult him mentioning it. That was Hermione's job!

About an hour later, Harry was finished his repast and bath and called for Kreacher. The elf brought him some fresh clothes, belonging to a Hogwarts student which had just been cleaned but Harry needed them more than that nasty Ravenclaw did. Then Kreacher popped Harry to the room he requested, Harry took his Tylenol now that he had his tummy full and gave Kreacher one more command.

"I ORDER you to take a break. You deserve it! I don't want any argument – rest – as I have much for you to do when I wake up."

Kreacher nodded and popped away while Harry crawled into bed and sank into the first decent sleep he had had in – he couldn't remember how long. He DESERVED IT and knew he would be needing it when he made his eventual appearance.

While Harry was having his much needed sleep, a few people had finally noticed he was gone. Ginny had gone looking for him with the intention of using Fred's death as a way of making him feel guilty and thus getting back together so her Mum (who considered Harry her seventh son) would be able to cope with the loss of Fred.

She didn't see him in the great hall, she went over to Ron, who was taking full advantage of "officially getting" Hermione, by not leaving the poor girl alone. She was embarrassed concerning Ron's behavior of not only kissing her in public but trying to cop a feel and not caring who saw him doing it. She had also just discovered that Ron was a terrible kisser. She had watched him swap spit with Lavender but she seemed to enjoy it but Hermione didn't appreciate him trying to swallow her tongue, slobbering all over her and, most disgusting of all, making all sorts of…barnyard noises.

Ginny interrupted him asking where Harry was as she couldn't find him. Ron replied by suggesting that the battle had probably scared the flobberworm dung out of him and he was probably in the loo emptying both his ends. He laughed at his own "witticism" much to the annoyance of both witches.

"I'll help you look for him" Hermione said, thinking this was a good way of getting away from Ron. However, Ron wasn't about to let his prize wander off.

"I told you, he's probably in the loo and we are busy here" he said turning to Ginny, "I'm giving my witch here some lessons on how to kiss – she really doesn't know how to do it – so that when we retire later on, I can give her other lessons." Then Mr. Idiot-of-the-Month (or rather every month) gave the now angry witch a very loud (and hurtful) slap on the bum getting the attention of several people – including Rita Skeeter, who had been hiding in her beetle form watching the battle but now was interviewing people whether they wanted to be interviewed or not (most didn't)

It was then that Rita regretted not having her photographer Bozo with her as he could have captured in picture form Hermione Granger punching out Ronald Weasley and knocking him on his arse before grabbing Ginny's hand and dragging her off to look for Harry.

That was bad enough but Ronniekins had to take it further as now his dignity and family honor (not to mention his manhood) was at stake.

"Get back here this instant you filthy MUDBLOOD! I own you and you will do what I demand or ELSE!"

Hermione and Ginny both froze and you could hear a pin drop in the hall as Hermione slowly turned around to see a now smirking Ron again ordering her to get back to him NOW and who knows what else he would have said had he not been rescued by Neville Longbottom who stunned him and enjoyed hearing the no doubt painful thud of Ron hitting the floor. Everybody but Ron had noticed the look of fury on the talented and powerful witch's face, which promised…pain…to Ron Weasley. But Longbottom had robbed people like Rita of a scoop and others of entertainment.

Molly had been going to put her two knuts in when Hermione had hit Ron but Arthur had stunned her as it was bad enough that poor Fred was dead without having a feud (or at least a riot) if Molly dared to chastise, or worse, punish Hermione.

Since everyone was so absorbed with the Granger-Weasley drama, they didn't notice black, smoky forms creeping out of the dead bodies of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. It would be found out much too soon that Harry hadn't gotten all of Voldie's Horcruxes and Bellatrix had made one. But they would soon, very soon.