The Broken Road, a harry potter fanfic

The Broken Road

Disclaimer: All characters and references of Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling. The song appearing at the end"Bless the Broken Road", is the property of Rascal Flatts.

A/n: Since I have completed "What a Strange and Mysterious Thing It Is," I thought I'd revisit my first fic and correct the multitude of errors in it. But also, I thought I'd add a bit more too it. So, if you have already read it, hopefully it will be worth it to you to read again! This story is dedicated to my husband and to Quill of Minerva. Without her I would not have had the privilege of sharing this fic, my first one, with all of you! Please review and let me know what you think.

The Broken Road.

The war, oh how it had lasted. The casualties had been great, but so were the triumphs. After years and years of pain and struggle, the Boy-Who-Lived had finally become the Boy-Who-Conquered. Lord Voldemort had met his end at last. At seventeen years of age Harry Potter could finally understand what peace truly meant.

Harry wandered the battlefield, as many of the Order of the Phoenix were doing. They were scanning for survivors, mourning its victims. Harry looked before him and found one of the men for whom he had been searching. Albus Dumbledore was standing with his arms at his side and his shoulders slumped. Harry crept to stand beside the man who had meant so much to him. Dumbledore had been a friend and mentor. Much more than that, he had given Harry the love he had been so deprived of as a child.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked placing a hand on Dumbledore's shoulder.

Harry marveled at the memory of how Dumbledore had once towered over him. Now Harry could meet his Headmaster's stare, eye to eye.

"Harry," acknowledged Dumbledore.

Harry followed his gaze and his own lit upon Professor McGonagall. She was walking with Hermione and Ron picking through the aftermath. Harry felt a wave of relief fill him as his hope for his friends was justified. They were alive. Their faces were subdued and Harry knew they must be looking for loved ones as he had done. Harry heard the man beside him sigh heavily as his eyes continued to follow his deputy, and in that moment Harry understood.

"How long have you loved her?" Harry inquired.

"A-a l-long time," Dumbledore stuttered apparently taken aback by Harry's realization. He continued more strongly, "Though I have only just realized it."

"Have you told her?"

"No," Dumbledore explained shaking his head. "Oh, Harry, what a fool I have been. I wasted so much time looking for love in all the wrong places, when the woman I cared for most in the world had been right in front of me for years. Every time I felt pain she was there to guide me through. I never saw it, I never let myself see."

"Well, I believe it is time that you stopped wasting time, Sir," said Harry as he tightened his grip on the headmaster's shoulder.

Dumbledore turned to look at the young man beside him. When had the young boy grown into this wise young man? Harry gave a reassuring smile and gently pushed the professor forward. Professor Dumbledore felt overwhelmed and relieved all at once. Professor McGonagall had spotted him and was running to meet his outstretched arms.

"Albus!" she cried. "I have found you!"

She threw her arms around his neck Dumbledore smiled and felt himself sink into her embrace as the two slowly dropped to the ground.

"It's over, Minerva," he said soothingly. "A weight has been lifted from me. I have wasted so much time in my life."

McGonagall pulled away from him and looked searchingly into his clear blue eyes. "What do you mean, Albus?"

The old man smiled once more and brushed an errant strand of her graying hair from her eyes. "We have all been searching for something during these difficult times. Like everyone else, I was searching for something too. I set out to find what I was seeking. The way was narrow and I stumbled and fell every time. It was as though I traveled down a broken road, but what I had needed I have already had before me. All the signs were pointing to what my heart had been yearning for for so long."

"What was it?" Professor McGonagall asked as a tear leaked from the corner of her eye. Deep down she already knew.

"You." He said softly. "It was you. I have loved you for years, but failed to admit it to my heart. But my heart had known it all along, I ignored what it was trying to tell me."

At this McGonagall broke down completely. She collapsed fully in his arms and the tears flowed forth unrelented. "I thought I had let my chance slip through my fingers," she sobbed. "All those times I felt lost and uncertain, you were my compass, my touchstone. I have loved you as long as I can remember. I have lost so much time as well."

Dumbledore's own eyes were glistening with tears. He placed two fingers underneath McGonagall's chin and forced her to look at him. "I'd like to have the time I've lost and give it back to you. Will you marry me?"

Albus Dumbledore stood back and scrutinized his appearance in the mirror. This is it old boy, he thought. Dumbledore smiled, he was not nervous. It felt so right that he knew he should have been here all along.

Harry poked his head into the dressing room and smiled. "It's time, Professor!"

"Thank you for giving me the push I needed," Dumbledore said, his voice quivering with emotion. He strode across the room and his arms encircled Harry on their own accord.

"Sir," Harry laughed, "if you start crying now, there's no way you'll make it when you see her."

Dumbledore chuckled, "No, I suppose not."

The two men left the dressing room together. They entered the Great Hall where the ceremony would be performed. Arthur Weasley was standing where the head table normally would have been. The couple had asked Arthur to perform the ceremony for them. He had been incredibly honored and took the steps necessary for him to serve in that capacity.

Harry was standing up for Professor Dumbledore, an honor that had taken Harry completely by surprise. When the soft music began to play, all eyes turned to the doors leading to the Entrance Hall. Hermione dressed in beautiful lavender gown entered. She was standing up for the bride-to-be. A collective gasp was ushered from the gathered crowd as Professor McGonagall embarked on her trip down the aisle. A violently blushing Ron was escorting her down the aisle.

When all parties were in place, Mr. Weasley began the ceremony. Though Albus and Minerva caught only enough of it to answer in all the right places. Indeed it caused a moment of laughter for the congregation when Albus was asked to share his vows with Minerva and had not realized he was being spoken to.

"Almost done, Albus," Mr. Weasley laughed.

He turned to his bride and smiled, his eyes twinkling brightly. Remembering their time together on the battlefield months earlier, Albus could hear the words flowing from his heart.

"I set out on a narrow way many years ago.
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road,
But I got lost a time or two.
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through.
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you.

Every long lost dream led me to where you are.
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars,
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms.
This much I know is true:
That God blessed the broken road,
That led me straight to you.

I think about the years I spent just passing through.
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you.
But you just smile and take my hand,
You've been there you understand.
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true.

Now I'm just rolling home into my lover's arms.
This much I know is true:
That God blessed the broken road,
That led me straight to you.
That God blessed the broken road,
That led me straight to you."

A dry eye in the Great Hall could not be found. Years of yearning and loneliness melted away before all of their family and friends. As he and Minerva left Hogwarts following the ceremony, Albus looked from his new wife to the sky above. His heart was bursting with emotion and he could have soared above the clouds.

"No more time wasted...I am home."