Chapter 25

All We Need of Hell

The next morning, Harry felt more rested and refreshed than he had ever been. Or, at least, as best he could remember. He was still sporting a gruesome-looking bruise on his chest, but considering the alternative, he didn't mind too much. He carefully got up and dressed.

McGonagall had decided to cancel class for the week, which was a nice surprise, considering it was only Tuesday. Hermione had been a little upset, but given the circumstances, the staff wasn't exactly prepared to start teaching again. In any case, everyone deserved some time off to grieve and to celebrate.

Harry left his room and made his way down to the Great Hall. McGonagall had told him the previous night that Scrimgeour would be coming by, and had asked to see Harry. He wasn't sure why, but he figured it was for the same reason everyone else wanted to see him. And that meant 'everyone'. Just last night alone, he received seventy-eight owls, all of them fan mail. People from all over the country had sent him letters, saying they had heard what happened, and thanking him for what he had done. Some had also sent him money, and others had sent all sorts of gifts. Harry had briefly considered placing an Untraceable Charm on himself so the owls would stop coming, but he decided, annoying as it was, no one was doing anything wrong. And, he had to admit, he did deserve at least some of the credit for defeating Voldemort.

Harry made it to the Great Hall, but when he peeked inside, there was no sign of the Minister, or McGonagall. Wondering if he should go up to the Head's office, he caught a glimpse of the aging man's mane of grey hair out on the grounds. Harry rushed down the stairs to catch up with him. Hopefully he was on his way back, and wouldn't spend much time with Harry.

When Harry reached him, he looked quite happy, which was more emotion than Harry had ever seen him show. Scrimgeour wringed Harry's hand tightly for several seconds. After the formalities, Scrimgeour started walking down the lawn, and beckoned Harry to follow. Apparently there was more on his mind.

"You're a hero, Harry," Scrimgeour stated simply. "That's all it is. You've done the country, and, in fact, the world, a tremendous service. We all owe you so much."

"Maybe that means I'll go into the history books for something I actually did," Harry said dryly.

Scrimgeour chuckled slightly, but hesitated, not knowing how serious Harry was. "Yes, well… I know you and I have had our differences in the past, and I'm sorry for that. But I hope we can put that behind us." He paused for a moment. "Your Headmistress has told me you wish to become an Auror, no? Rest assured, you will have no problems getting in, or completing the program. And I would be more than happy to give you a recommendation."

Harry wasn't surprised to hear the other man pandering to him. "Thank you, sir. I do appreciate that, but I'm not sure if I'm still interested in that as a career."

The Minister looked surprised, but hid it quickly. "Well, I do hope you change your mind. We have lost a lot of people, and we're in a process of rebuilding. We could certainly use someone of your character."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Scrimgeour nodded. "Now, the other reason I wanted to see you. Because of your actions in recent days, the Ministry has seen fit to present you with the Order of Merlin, First Class."

This did shock Harry quite a bit. After the meeting with McGonagall the night before, he the idea of getting another award from the Ministry was in his mind, but certainly not this one. It wasn't something you could get just from making donations, either. "Are you serious?" Harry asked.

"Oh, of course. Can't think of a more worthy recipient than you. The vote was taken at the Ministry yesterday, and was unanimous, obviously. If even half of the rumours I've heard are true, you deserve at least two. Your friends, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, will receive awards as well. Second class, for them." Scrimgeour stopped walking when he reached the front gates. "Now, because of all the secrecy of what went on (and I understand why it had to be so) you know best what everyone else took part in. If you have any recommendations, I would very much like to hear them."

Harry came to a halt as well, and thought about it. One name came to mind immediately. "Yeah, there is one. Ginny Weasley," he said. "She stood up to Voldemort, knowing she wouldn't survive, just so the three of us could escape." Harry didn't feel it was necessary to say any more than that, and he didn't want to think about it much more.

"I hadn't heard about that," Scrimgeour said solemnly. "Such bravery isn't found often enough these days. Tragic, of course, but she deserves to be remembered."

Harry nodded.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I believe I've taken up too much of your time, and there is still much to do," Scrimgeour said. "So if you would excuse me. You'll be hearing from us before too long."

Scrimgeour turned to leave, but Harry remembered something, and stopped him. "Oh, Minister, one more thing." He pulled a folded piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to the other man. "I thought this might interest you."

Scrimgeour opened it up and read what had been written. "What is this?" he asked.

"Just go there, and you'll find a cave on the cliff wall," Harry told him. "Be sure to bring some help along. And, uh… fire. Bring plenty of fire," Harry added with a wink.

Scrimgeour's eyes widened in realisation. "Will do, Mr. Potter. We'll take care of this right away." With that, he headed out the gates and down the path to Hogsmeade.

.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

That afternoon was much more somber than the day before. The celebrations were put on hold while there was a memorial service for all the ones killed in the battle. It was held by the lake, near where Dumbledore's funeral was.

Harry, Hermione and Ron sat together near the front. It was hard, listening to all the names. Harry tried hard to convince himself that they had died for a good cause. Not that many students had been killed, save for Ginny, and the five that died at the Ministry. Each of them had given their lives to save their classmates. Scrimgeour was right, that kind of bravery wasn't found enough these days.

Afterwards, there was a separate service, just for Ginny. It was on a different part of the grounds, opposite the lake. Compared to the other, it was much smaller. Only the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, a few Order members, and a few professors were there.

One person that everyone was shocked to see show up was Percy. He hadn't spoken with anyone in the family in over a year, but walked up halfway through the service, in tears. He didn't say a word to anyone, but hugged his mother and father, and then took a seat at the back

Several people got up to speak, but Harry remained seated. Some others looked at him, maybe expecting him to say something, but he knew he couldn't. Save for the few minutes after they escaped from Hogwarts the other night, Harry hadn't let himself think about Ginny. He knew that if he was to dwell on Ginny, or anyone else he had lost, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort. Now that was over with, things were starting to catch up with him.

He felt himself overwhelmed with emotion. One of his best friends was gone. Harry had lost many friends, and family, in recent years, but that didn't make it any easier when it happened again. He felt himself start to choke up, but he fought it back. He knew it was all right to be sad, but he didn't want his memory of Ginny to be so tragic. Her sacrifice to save Harry's life, foolish as it was, was one of the most heroic things Harry had ever experienced. He allowed himself a small smile.

Beside him, Hermione was already in tears, and Ron looked close. Harry reached over and squeezed Hermione's hand comfortingly. She didn't look over, but Harry could feel her lift up slightly.

It wasn't much longer before the service ended. Many of the group rose to leave, while a handful remained seated. Ron and Hermione made no move to get up. Harry, on the other hand, stood and started to walk away from the crowd.

He understood people continuing to stay there, but Harry felt no need. He had made his peace with it, and he knew if he stayed with his thoughts longer, he would only dwell on how much he would miss Ginny. His friend wouldn't have wanted that. She would have wanted him to move on with his life. And if he did think about her, only remember the good times.

Harry made his way away from the crowd, not wanting to get caught up in another discussion. His plan failed though, and he heard his name called out before he could stray too far. Harry looked over to see Mr. Weasley approaching him. He looked weary, but his eyes weren't red as Harry would have expected.

"I don't think I thanked you personally yet," Arthur said when he caught up with Harry. "For what you did the other night."

"There's no need, sir," Harry told him. "I was just doing what I needed to. If anything, I should thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do what I did without Ginny." Arthur gave him a sad smile. "I'm guessing Ron told you exactly what they did."

"Yes, I heard all about that," Mr. Weasley said. He didn't seem as angry as Harry would have expected. "Not really something Molly and I would have allowed, had we known. Being such a dangerous kind of Magic. But I suppose I can get mad at their methods." He placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "You have no idea how lucky you are, Harry. To have five friends who would do something like that… most people don't even have one."

Harry nodded. "Don't ever forget that, Harry," Mr. Weasley continued. "And don't just remember Ginny. Because even though she was the one that died, Ron and the others would have if they needed to. And even though the Vow is broken, those feelings will last forever."

Harry realised exactly what he meant. And even though Harry would make sure things never got that bad again, he knew that if they did, he had friends he could rely on for anything. Though…. He looked down at his feet, and said, "I'm sorry though, that it had to be Ginny. I couldn't keep the promise I made at Christmas."

"Harry, please," Mr. Weasley said, putting his other hand on Harry's other shoulder, and forcing Harry to look back up. "Do you think I blame you for what happened? Do you think I wish it was one of your other friends? Believe me, I've tried being angry, but I can't. All I feel is how proud I am of what my daughter did. And how amazed I am at her bravery."

Harry agreed. He felt a little better at hearing this. Mr. Weasley seemed to tell, and patted him on the back. "Good," he said to Harry. "Now, I need to go and check on Molly." Harry nodded, and allowed Mr. Weasley to turn and go.

.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

"I guess it's about time for me to go back home."

Harry didn't look surprised to hear this. He had been walking the grounds with Remus for a few minutes now. The answer to Harry's previous question was about what he expected. He was going to have to try harder to get any more information out.

"By yourself?" Harry asked innocently.

Remus, however, saw right through that. "Whatever could you mean?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"You know exactly what I mean," Harry told him. "The way I see it, you don't have any more excuses. The fighting is over, so it looks like you'll be around for a while." He looked away from Lupin and added, "Besides… you deserve to be happy."

Remus looked back at Harry. "You think so? Maybe you're right," he said coyly.

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Harry asked.

"Just make sure you're in the country at the beginning of summer," Remus said, giving Harry a wink.

"All right, keep your secrets," Harry laughed.

.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

Late in the afternoon was the first chance Harry had to relax.

His day up until this point had been surprisingly busy. He was continually hounded by Ministry officials and journalists looking to get a more detailed account of recent events. The former apparently needed it for whatever official files they were working on, while the latter wanted more articles to write. Neither option made Harry feel comfortable, so he gave them just enough so they would leave him alone.

On top of that, he saw off many of his friends who were still hanging around the castle. Some were old schoolmates and others were Order members (or, rather, former Order members). Harry wasn't sure when he would see them again, and wanted to make sure he thanked them for showing up and helping.

But now that the castle had settled down and there was a lull in Harry's owls, he snuck away from everyone with Ron and Hermione. They were sitting against their favorite tree down by the lake, looking out at the water and the sunlight sparkling off the surface. No one had spoken for several minutes, each enjoying the calmness and solitude.

"You're sure he's gone, Harry?" Ron asked, breaking the silence with a question Harry had heard from him a dozen times in the past two days.

"Yes, Ron," Harry said patiently. "I'm sure." He could understand why Ron kept asking. With what had already happened in Harry's lifetime, he knew many others around the country would be wondering the same thing. Some might even refuse to believe it.

"And you're sure the piece inside you is gone too?"

"Absolutely," Harry answered again. "I mean, I got hit with the Killing Curse, and it didn't kill me so it must be. That, and I can't feel him in my scar. And I can't speak Parsletongue anymore. And I'm having a lot of trouble with my Occlumency." He looked over at his friend. "Is that enough evidence for you?" he asked, half-joking.

"Yeah, I guess," Ron said. "It's just… well, he came back once before, right?"

"Yes, but no one saw what happened that night. This time everyone saw him die. And I would have felt some part of him afterwards. And… there are… other ways I know. But trust me, he's gone for good." Saying it out loud certainly felt relieving.

"Yeah, you must be right," Ron finally conceded. "I'm just worried, you know. He was so strong."

"He was," Harry repeated. He sat back against the tree.

"How the mighty have fallen," Hermione spoke up. Harry looked over at her with raised eyebrows.

Ron was apparently thinking the same thing. "You're so lame," he said, and started laughing. Harry nodded in agreement.

"What?" Hermione asked, slightly peeved. "It seemed right."

"It's okay Hermione," Ron said. "We know how your brain gets a bit off when you aren't in school."

Hermione smacked him loudly on his arm. "Well then," she huffed, "let's go back and start studying."

"Don't even think about it," Harry told her. "We've earned a bit of a break."

"We'll have to get at it soon, though," Ron said dejectedly. "Think they'll drop some requirements for the Auror program? Seeing as they lost quite a few."

"It's possible," Hermione answered. "Of course, Harry shouldn't have any problems with that." She looked over at him.

"I'm not sure if I will though," Harry said. It was something he had been thinking about a lot recently. Ron and Hermione both gave him looks indicating they wanted an explanation. "Well, over the past year I've seen how poorly the Ministry operates. I'm not sure I want to be a part of that. Maybe if they make some major changes… either way, I think I've done plenty of that for my lifetime."

"No kidding," Ron agreed.

"So what would you do then, if not that?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe try to play Quidditch. It's the one thing I've done where I felt like a normal kid."

"Really? Flying on a broomstick a hundred feet in the air, dodging cannonballs and trying to catch a walnut? That's the most normal you've felt?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, shut up," Harry told her. "You know what I mean." Hermione snickered at him. "Anyway… I think I'd also like to come back and teach at some point."

"I wouldn't mind that either," Ron said.

They sat in silence again, watching the lake and the clouds moving across the sky. It was a kind of tranquility Harry never thought possible. But then again, he was seeing a lot of that recently. Since Voldemort had gone, Harry was realising just how amazing the world really was.

"Harry?" Hermione spoke up after several minutes.

"Hmmm?"

"What was it you had left for me?" She asked. When Harry didn't know what she meant, she continued on, "The night before we came here and fought Voldemort. You said there were some things you wanted me to have. What were they?"

"Oh, that," Harry remembered. "Well, sometime during the year, I found some papers with some of my parents' old things. One of them was a deed to some property. In Australia, up the coast from Adelaide. Must have been a vacation home or something," he explained. "Anyway… I figured since you never got to go… over the summer. Well, I thought you might like it."

"Oh… Harry, I can't believe you'd think of me like that," Hermione said softly. She gazed at him with her warm, brown eyes, and Harry felt that familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach. The one he had, up until recently, tried so hard to ignore. "I wouldn't have been able to accept that."

"I guess it's a good thing I didn't die then, huh?" Harry joked. "Anyway, maybe we can all take a trip down there this summer and check it out." His friends agreed. Hermione then put her arm around his and laid her head on Harry's shoulder. Harry didn't mind at all.

Ron however, raised an eyebrow at him. He looked back and forth between Harry and Hermione, and then nodded his head expectantly, asking the question Harry knew he would. Harry answered with a shrug. It was honest enough, as he really wasn't sure. Ron gave him a knowing grin.

The three of them continued sitting there, in silence again. They watched as the sun began to set above the lake, and the water glistened like millions of gems. Harry rested his head on Hermione's and relaxed even more.

Eventually, he began to think about all the ones he had lost in his lifetime. He thought about his parents, of course, and how he hoped they knew Voldemort was gone. And then he thought of Cedric, and of Sirius and Dumbledore. And all his friends that had passed. He wondered where they were now, and how peaceful they must be, away from the horrors humanity was capable of.

And then he thought of Ginny. He knew if he went to the Department of Mysteries, into the Death Chamber, he would hear one more voice calling to him from beyond the veil. And he would see her again. He would see all of them.

But for now, he had the rest of his life to live.

THE END

.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

A/N – Done. Finally. I can't even remember when I had planned for this to be finished, but it certainly wasn't this late. And it is finished. No epilogue or anything. Anyway, I think it turned out pretty well. Obviously not a suitable replacement to DH as an end to the series, but I still like it. I'd definitely like to thank everyone who read it, and enjoyed it, and reviewed. Especially those that stuck with it from the beginning, and were patient with me. So, I got a couple ideas for other stories in the process of writing this, and I think I may start on them soon. Since I've been writing. So keep an eye out, if you want. And thanks again for reading.

-wt